ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the US have agreed to continue ongoing negotiations on outstanding matters under an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), as Washington is asking Islamabad to increase imports to narrow the existing trade imbalance.

The US side acknowledged the potential to further strengthen bilateral trade and reiterated its willingness to work closely with Pakistan to advance the ongoing negotiations. Both sides agreed that a reciprocal and forward-looking trade framework would contribute to sustainable economic engagement.

Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, along with Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul held a virtual meeting with Deputy US Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer to discuss bilateral trade ties, advancing ongoing negotiations, and exploring new avenues of economic cooperation between the two countries.

Deputy USTR Rick Switzer appreciated the constructive approach in the discussions, stating, “We value our engagement with Pakistan and look forward to continued collaboration to advance a balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship.”

Mr Paul noted that Pakistan has already held constructive and positive engagements on ART with only a limited number of areas under discussion. He emphasised that Pakistan’s technical teams remain closely engaged with their US counterparts to address outstanding matters constructively.

An official announcement said that during the meeting, both sides discussed enhancing bilateral trade, with a particular focus on achieving a balanced, mutually beneficial trade agreement.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026