- Dar, Rubio has a first phone call since the assumption of offices.
- DAR reaffirms the commitment to strengthen partnership with us.
- Rubio has the desire to collaborate with Pakistan in the trade.
Islamabad: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held the first telephone conversation on Monday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the two best diplomats agreed to resolve the question of military equipment left in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the US forces.
According to a press release published by the Foreign Office (FO), DAR held the appeal and discussed bilateral relations, regional security and economic cooperation with its American counterpart.
The country was in shock in increased terrorist attacks targeting law officials and security forces since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of the American forces.
Pakistan witnessed a strong increase in terrorist attacks in January 2025, increasing by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data published by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a reflection group.
According to a report from the US Defense Ministry in 2022, the United States left $ 7 billion in military equipment in Afghanistan which was quickly seized by Taliban fighters while swept the country.
American forces have tried to dismantle or destroy as much of their machine as possible during the last weeks of their chaotic withdrawal. However, huge quantities have always fallen into the Taliban in August 2021.
However, Taliban would have refused to return one of the military equipment and urged the United States to provide them with more advanced weapons to fight Daesh.
During today’s call, the press release said DAR reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen its partnership with the United States. “He stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation in fields such as trade, investment and the fight against terrorism.”
Secretary Rubio made the same part the desire to collaborate with Pakistan in trade and investment in various sectors, in particular critical minerals. He said that cooperation in the economy and trade would be the hallmark of future relations between the two countries.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs underlined the efforts of Pakistan to fight terrorism successfully in 2013-2018, which caused enormous economic and human losses of Pakistan.
Rubio also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and expressed the American desire to further improve cooperation against terrorism.
The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact and work together to advance the common interests of the two countries.
The appeal occurred a few days after US President Donald Trump imposed an amazing 29% rate on imports from Pakistan.
The country of more than 240 million people now faces a price of 29% (which should start on April 9) on its exports to the United States, significantly higher than the base line of 10%, which entered into force on April 5.