New Delhi: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington where the US leader thanked Islamabad for its “partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability”.
In a wide-ranging deliberation at the State Department late Friday, the two sides also discussed expanding bilateral trade and collaboration in the critical minerals sector, and counterterrorism with a special focus on combating ISIS-K.
Preparations for the upcoming US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue scheduled in Islamabad this August were also discussed.
“Met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister @MIshaqDar50 today to discuss expanding bilateral trade and enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals sector. I also thanked him for Pakistan’s partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability,” Secretary Rubio said in a post on X.
Met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister @MIshaqDar50 today to discuss expanding bilateral trade and enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals sector. I also thanked him for Pakistan’s partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional… pic.twitter.com/QZB9RZwIA8
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 25, 2025
The US’ appreciation of “Pakistan’s partnership in countering terrorism” comes just days after Washington designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a foreign terrorist organisation for its involvement in the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.
This was the first meeting between the two foreign ministers since the attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor India launched to dismantle terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
On the economic front, Rubio stressed the need to boost trade and investment with Pakistan, particularly in critical minerals and mining sectors where China currently dominates.
For the US, working with Pakistan in this area could help reduce reliance on Chinese resources, a key goal as competition with Beijing continues to grow. The Rubio-Dar meeting came hours after Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir met with Chinese FM Wang Yi in Beijing to discuss regional coordination.
Dar welcomed the US interest and said a mineral extraction deal with Washington could be finalised within “weeks and days, not months”. “I think we are very close to finalising a deal with the US. It’s not going to be months, not even weeks, I would say (just) days,” Dar said in a discussion at the Atlantic Council.
In a readout of the meeting, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce added, “The Secretary underscored the importance of expanding mutually beneficial bilateral trade and exploring prospects for enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals and mining sectors.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a X post, “The two sides acknowledged the positive trajectory of the Pak-U.S. bilateral relations. They discussed and agreed to upscale and strengthen economic & trade relations as well as cooperation in counterterrorism & security domains.”
The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, met with the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio @SecRubio, today in Washington D.C.
The two sides acknowledged the positive trajectory of the Pak-U.S. bilateral relations. They discussed and… pic.twitter.com/iGJdGI9YDj
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 25, 2025
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Crypto and mining
According to a separate Pakistani readout, the conversation also touched on cryptocurrency and digital finance. Pakistan’s interest in crypto is driven by both domestic momentum and strategic signaling, especially through recent ties with US firms linked to President Donald Trump.
In April, Trump-connected World Liberty Financial and Texas-based Fr8Tech pledged blockchain support and millions in crypto investment.
However, Pakistan’s crypto ambitions face pushback from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and scrutiny at home, with parallels drawn to military-run economic initiatives like the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), set up to attract foreign investment.
Diplomacy
On the diplomatic front, Dar publicly credited President Trump and Secretary Rubio for playing a “pivotal role” in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan and helping avert a wider conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Dar reiterated Pakistan’s position that Kashmir is the “core issue” in the India-Pakistan relationship and called for a resolution in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
New Delhi has repeatedly rejected this narrative, insisting the India-Pakistan understanding that led to cessation of hostilities 10 May after four days of armed conflict was the result of a direct military-to-military contact. It has also reaffirmed that Kashmir is a bilateral issue.
Speaking later at the Atlantic Council alongside NBC’s Dan De Luce, Dar stressed the need for sustained US engagement in South Asia.
“For peace in South Asia, we need an open-eyed US policy that understands the risk of disengagement,” he said, warning that regional peace would remain elusive without dialogue with India on all outstanding issues.
Responding to questions on whether Pakistan would continue arms purchases from China, Dar was pragmatic. “We will go with whoever offers the better deal.”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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