ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States made “significant progress” during the latest round of negotiations on a proposed reciprocal trade agreement, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Saturday, citing Pakistan’s commerce secretary.
The two-day negotiations, held in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and Friday, were led by Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul. The discussions focused on addressing tariff-related issues, enhancing bilateral trade, and expanding economic cooperation between the two countries.
The resumption of talks is being viewed as an important step toward revitalising economic engagement between Islamabad and Washington and enhancing long-term bilateral trade cooperation.
Paul “characterised the talks as positive and appreciated the significant progress made during the negotiations”, Andrabi said on X.
“The talks were conducted in a cordial atmosphere, with both sides ironing out differences and building convergence, with a view to the early conclusion of the agreement,” said Andrabi, who was also a part of the talks.
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The Pakistani delegation also included Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Secretary Nadeem Chaudhary and Joint Secretary (Tariff Policy) Mohammad Ashfaq, while officials from other ministries participated virtually.
Officials familiar with the negotiations said the discussions extended beyond reciprocal tariff arrangements to include broader areas of economic cooperation, such as energy, information technology, mining, and investment.
The latest round of talks follows a series of virtual meetings held over recent weeks to resolve outstanding trade-related issues between the two countries.
The Pakistan-US trade dialogue was originally launched in July last year but was later interrupted after the United States imposed tariffs on imports from several countries, temporarily halting the negotiation process.
US President Donald Trump has signalled that Washington is prepared to negotiate “a better deal” with Pakistan.
In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Trump referred to Pakistan’s large oil and gas reserves and said US teams would be sent to explore energy opportunities. He also suggested Pakistan could eventually export oil and gas to India.
Pakistan has also continued to push for greater access to the US market for its exporters, particularly in sectors with strong growth potential.
The United States is Pakistan’s largest single-country export market, while Pakistan is the second largest importer of US cotton, underscoring the importance of the economic relationship between the two countries.
