Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday held his second phone call with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio since visiting Washington and an improvement in bilateral ties.

There has been a surge in relations between the US and Pakistan, with both nations inking a trade deal last week in which Washington lowered tariffs on Islamabad to 19 per cent, while tapping the latter’s oil reserves. The positive signals, which began emanating soon after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, seem to be turning into full-blown bonhomie.

From acknowledging Pakistan’s counterterror cooperation in the arrest of an Islamic State-Khorasan operative to claiming credit for stopping a nuclear war in South Asia, the country has perhaps featured more in this US president’s day-to-day media interactions than any past ‘commander-in-chief’.

In a post on X today, the Foreign Office (FO) stated that the two top diplomats had their most recent interaction over the phone.

“The two leaders discussed a range of bilateral matters and exchanged views on current regional and international issues,” the FO stated. “Both sides agreed to remain in contact and continue cooperation on areas of mutual interest.”

FM Dar had met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month and discussed trade, investment, counterterrorism cooperation and the clash between India and Pakistan in May, according to officials from both countries.

The meeting — the first such engagement between the foreign ministers of the two countries in three years — was considered a breakthrough in diplomacy between Pakistan and the US. Secretary Rubio had recognised Pakistan’s “unparalleled sacrifices” in the fight against terrorism and described Islamabad as a “constructive actor” in efforts to ensure regional stability.

The two had subsequently talked again on July 28 after their “productive meeting” and discussed key bilateral matters, including tariffs, as well as regional & global issues of mutual interest.