Aurangzeb to visit US for trade, tariff talks

Published Updated

WASHINGTON: Fin­ance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is expected to arrive in Washington on Saturday for a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with officials on trade, finance and investment as Pakistan and the US continue negotiations on a broader bilateral economic partnership, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

According to the sources, Mr Aurangzeb is scheduled to meet officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the US Export-Import (Exim) Bank, the US International Devel­opment Finance Corporation (DFC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A key focus of the visit will be discussions on the framework for a potential bilateral trade agreement to expand trade and investment between the two countries. The talks are expected to cover tariffs, market access, investment opportunities and broader economic cooperation.

Meetings with the Exim Bank and the DFC are also expected to explore avenues for financing infrastructure, energy and private-sector investment projects.

Mr Aurangzeb’s visit comes as Pakistani and US officials continue negotiations that began in Was­h­i­ngton last week over tariffs on Pakistani exports and a wider trade agreement.

The latest round of talks follows months of negotiations over the global tariff regime announced by US President Donald Trump on April 2, 2025.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2026