Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on July 25, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
This will be Dar's first official meeting with Secretary Rubio. The agenda will include a review of Pakistan-US ties, regional developments, particularly recent Pakistan-India tensions, and other matters of mutual interest.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said senior officials from both nations would be present, and she would attend the meeting.
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, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce offered a measured reply.
“We have Pakistan who is going to be here for a bilat, and I’ll [be] participating in that, so I’m looking forward to that as well,” Bruce said.
We have Pakistan who is going to be here for a bilat, and I’ll [be] participating in that, so I’m looking forward to that as well
Tammy BruceThe comments follow renewed regional tensions and past efforts by President Trump to mediate between India and Pakistan, including on Kashmir. Trump previously offered to host talks between the two countries during a summit in Saudi Arabia.
Read: Quad ministers condemn Pahalgam attack without naming Pakistan
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.
On May 7, the Indian Air Force carried out an unprovoked attack on civilian targets in Pakistan and alleged that New Delhi had targeted "terrorist infrastructure". The strikes killed multiple Pakistani civilians and injure many more. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF), scrambled to counter the Indian aerial threat, shot down six IAF fighter aircraft including three French-made Rafales.
The strikes sett off an exchange of attacks between the two countries by fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery that killed dozens until a ceasefire on May 10.
The ceasefire was first announced by US President Donald Trump on social media after Washington held talks with both sides, but India has differed with Trump's claims that it resulted from his intervention and threats to sever trade talks.
India's position has been that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve their problems directly and with no outside involvement.
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