Us Pak

US-Pakistan relations don't come at expense of India, says Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stresses Washington's partnership with India remains strong ahead of talks with S Jaishankar at the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur

Pakistan's power play: Saying yes to all in a risky multipolar world

Islamabad might have failed for decades to create the sort of productive, dynamic economy that builds anything the world might want to buy. But that doesn't mean there's nothing left to sell

US-Pak ties in focus as Sharif set to meet Donald Trump during UNGA visit

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel from New York to Washington on Thursday to discuss bilateral ties with US President Donald Trump

Trump strikes oil deal with Pakistan, says 'maybe they'll sell to India'

Trump announced a new oil partnership with Pakistan via Truth Social, saying both the nations would jointly develop reserves and hinting that Islamabad may one day supply oil to India

Massive oil reserves in Pakistan, says Trump: Here's what US said in 2015

Pakistan's untapped shale reserves have long intrigued energy analysts. A 2015 US report had already mapped billions of barrels underground

White House denies reports of Trump's planned visit to Pak in September

White House denies Trump's visit to Pakistan, TV channels withdraw false reports; Trump set to visit UK in September

Pak Air Force chief visits US; first trip by a serving officer in a decade

Pakistan's Chief of the Air Staff Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu paid an official visit to the US to further enhance bilateral defence cooperation after Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir recently undertook a similar tour. This was the first visit by a serving Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief in over a decade, an indication of stepping up military engagements between Pakistan and the US. The Chief of the Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, paid an official visit to the US, the first visit by any serving Air Chief of the Pakistan Air Force in over a decade, which will further enhance bilateral defence cooperation and mutual interests, a PAF statement said on Wednesday. This high-level visit is a strategic milestone in the Pak-US defence partnership. The visit will play a significant role in addressing key regional and global security issues as well as building institutional ties, it said. It further said Sidhu held several important meetings with th

Trump hosts Pak's Asim Munir after latter seeks Nobel prize for him

Pakistan's Army chief Asim Munir met with US President Donald Trump and thanked him for mediating in the conflict with India. He also called for a Nobel Prize for Trump

US bill seeks sanctions on Pak Army chief, demands Imran Khan's release

The bill mandates that within 180 days, the US government identify individuals involved in political persecution in Pakistan and impose penalties

US effort to retrieve weapons in Afghanistan would improve security: Pak

Pakistan said on Thursday that any effort by the US to retrieve the leftover weapons in Afghanistan would help to improve the security of the region. Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in response to a question at a weekly press briefing that the US left its weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan supported the idea that the US can try to get its weapons back. Our concern is that those weapons have been found to being used by terrorists in their operations inside Pakistan. We have flagged it. If the US can make any efforts to get those weapons back, it would be helpful for the overall regional security environment, he said. Khan also said that Pakistan's security cooperation with the US has been an ongoing process along with counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation. To a question, he said that the effort of Pakistani law enforcement agencies against terrorists, including against ISKP (Islamic State (Khorasan Province), resulted in significant successes, including t

Congress questions Center as US allocates $397 mn for Pak's F-16s

In the wake of US President Donald Trump reportedly allocating USD 397 million for Pakistan's F-16 fleet maintenance, the Congress on Tuesday questioned the Modi government's diplomatic strategy and called for a reassessment of India's foreign policy priorities to safeguard national interests. There was no immediate reaction from the government or the ruling BJP on the matter. Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the recent decision by President Trump to allocate USD 397 million for Pakistan's F-16 fleet maintenance raises critical questions about the Modi government's diplomatic efficacy. This move, reminiscent of the 2022 Biden administration's USD 450 million package for the same purpose, highlights a pattern of US military support to Pakistan, he said in a post on X. Such actions potentially compromise India's security interests, especially given the historical use of F-16s by Pakistan against India, Khera said. During the UPA years (2004-?2014), Indi

Pakistan's missile programme is 'emerging threat', says top US official

Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer's surprise revelation underscored how far the once-close ties between Washington and Islamabad have deteriorated

US monitoring Pakistan's electoral process closely, says official

The United States is closely monitoring Pakistan's electoral process, an official of the US State Department has said, observing that it has concerns over the infringement with respect for freedom of expression, assembly, and associations. Speaking at his regular press briefing, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that it wants the broad participation of the people of Pakistan in the country's election. "We're continuing to monitor Pakistan's electoral process quite closely, and as we have said, we want to see that process take place in a way that facilitates broad participation with respect for freedom of expression, assembly, and associations, Patel said. Pakistan will hold its general elections on February 8. "We have concerns of all incidents of violence and restrictions on media freedom; freedom of expression, including internet freedom; and peaceful assembly and association. We're concerned by some of the infringements that we've seen in that space. ..

Pakistan Election Commission ready for Feb 8 Polls with EMS setup

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) concluded setting up the Election Management System (EMS) and election monitoring on Monday

US lawmakers call for withholding assistance to Pakistan over poll fairness

A group of 11 influential US lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to withhold future assistance to Pakistan until Islamabad restores constitutional order and holds free and fair elections, it emerged on Sunday. In a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the lawmakers, which included Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who is one of the champions of Muslim causes in the US Congress, requested the state department to assess if US-origin security assistance had facilitated human rights violations in Pakistan. We further request that future security assistance be withheld until Pakistan has moved decisively toward the restoration of Constitutional order, including by holding free and fair elections in which all parties are able to participate freely, they wrote. Pakistan's moves to further strengthen the blasphemy law also figured prominently in the letter, which warned Secretary Blinken that the proposed changes would be used to further tighten the noose around smaller religious

F-16 programme important part of bilateral relationship with Pakistan: US

The F-16 programme is an important part of a broader US-Pakistan bilateral relationship and this fleet will allow the country to support counterterrorism operations, the Biden administration has said, defending its decision to provide a USD 450 million worth of military sustenance programme to Pakistan. On September 8, the Biden administration approved a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan to help it meet current and future counterterrorism threats, in Washington's first major security assistance to Islamabad in four years. We did recently notify Congress of a proposed foreign military sale valued at USD450 million for maintenance and sustainment services for the Pakistani Air Force's F-16 programme, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday. Pakistan is an important partner in a number of regards, an important counterterrorism partner. And as part of our longstanding policy, we provide lifecyc

Blinken, counterpart Bilawal discuss ties since new Pak govt formation

Secretary Blinken congratulated Bilawal on the assumption of his office and expressed the desire to continue strengthening the mutually beneficial Pakistan-US bilateral relationship

Ex-US Ambassador to Pak pleads guilty to undisclosed lobbying for Qatar

Richard Olson is also accused of accepting a lavish trip to Qatar while still serving as the US envoy to Pakistan, said the Dawn news report

US values its long standing cooperation with Pakistan: White House

However, Psaki refrained from responding to questions on the possibility of a phone call between President Joe Biden and Sharif

Pakistan has other 'options', PM Imran Khan's aide tells United States

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has said that Islamabad has other "options" if Biden continues to ignore the country's leadership.