Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar arrived in Washington, DC for in-depth talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on a raft of issues including Kashmir. In Washington, Ishaq Dar was received by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh and senior embassy officials. Ishaq Dar is scheduled to meet his US counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at the Department of State today. 

The meeting will discuss important facets of Pakistan-US relations exploring ways and means to strengthen bilateral ties, with a particular focus on promoting trade, investment and economic cooperation. The Deputy Prime Minister is also scheduled to speak at the US think tank, The Atlantic Council sharing Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global issues as well as the future of Pakistan-US relations. 

On Thursday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan confirmed the meeting between Rubio and Dar during his news conference in Islamabad. "I can confirm to you the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, and the entire range of issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as important regional and global issues, will be discussed," he said. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between Secretary Rubio and Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar since Rubio took office.

The agenda will include a review of Pakistan-US ties, regional developments, particularly recent Pakistan-India tensions, and other matters of mutual interest. In a recent news briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce had said senior officials from both nations would be present. Responding to a question at a press briefing on whether the US supports direct communication between Pakistan and India on Kashmir, as it does on the Indus Waters Treaty, Tammy Bruce offered a measured reply.

“We have Pakistan who is going to be here for a bilateral talks, and I’ll [be] participating in that, so I’m looking forward to that as well,” Bruce said. The comments follow renewed regional tensions and past efforts by President Trump to mediate between Pakistan and India, including on Kashmir. Trump previously offered to host talks between the two countries during a summit in Saudi Arabia. 

The meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and US Secretary of State will follow Pakistan’s nomination of President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — recognising what the government termed Trump’s “extraordinary role” in restoring calm in South Asia.Ishaq Dar has said cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations such as the OIC is not a diplomatic accessory but it is an indispensable imperative.    

He said this while presiding over a meeting of the UN Security Council on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in New York prior to his departure for Washington. The Deputy Prime Minister said that the cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC is firmly based on Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, which highlights the significance of regional arrangements in supporting the Security Council's primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. 

He said that OIC has consistently served as a bridge, connecting the global with regional efforts, and aligning political with the humanitarian priorities. He further said that OIC has been an indispensable interlocutor for the United Nations, also deeply attached to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Ishaq Dar said on the important issue of UN Security Council reform, the OIC Member States have called for adequate representation in any category of an expanded Security Council, in line with the OIC's long-held position.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)