PNN – A US delegation led by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State met with the Pakistani Prime Minister during a visit to Islamabad, as the country faces fresh sanctions from Washington against Pakistani companies following new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the US diplomatic delegation, which is visiting Pakistan for the first time since the beginning of Trump’s second term, met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad today.
Eric Meyer, the senior official for the Bureau of South and Central Asia at the State Department and deputy assistant secretary of state, is leading the delegation, which previously met with the Pakistani interior minister.
The US delegation’s meeting with the Pakistani Prime Minister is taking place on the sidelines of the second day of the Pakistan Mining International Investment Forum (PMIF-25). The Trump administration has also imposed a 29 percent tariff on goods imported from Pakistan, and in the latest US anti-Pakistan sanctions, 12 Pakistani companies were blacklisted by Washington on suspicion of unsafe activities in the missile and nuclear fields.
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In a conversation with members of the American delegation, the Pakistani Prime Minister welcomed the country’s presence at the Pakistan Mining Investment Forum and said that the country’s mining sector offers many opportunities to attract foreign investment and Islamabad invites American companies to invest in this sector.
Shahbaz Sharif, while emphasizing the importance of Pakistan-US relations, especially for regional peace and security, expressed his country’s willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration.
He also considered it important to strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in the fields of trade, investment, and the fight against terrorism.
During the meeting, the head of the American delegation claimed that the United States looks forward to strengthening bilateral relations with Pakistan.
According to this report, although the statement from the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office did not mention the Trump administration’s tariffs against Islamabad during the meeting with the American delegation, the Pakistani government is working to send a delegation to Washington to discuss with American officials the consequences and outcomes of the Trump administration’s tariff action.
Last Monday, a few days after the Trump administration imposed new tariffs on Pakistan, the country’s foreign minister spoke by phone with his American counterpart.