- PM Shehbaz lauds President Trump’s bold and decisive leadership during telephone from US Secretary of State
- Premier thanks Marco Rubio for key role played by the United States in Pakistan-India ceasefire
- Secretary Rubio says US would like to work with Pakistan to promote peace and stability to the region
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States on Thursday agreed to continue working closely to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly through enhanced trade, according to Radio Pakistan
The understanding came as Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, state broadcaster PTV News reported.
During their warm and cordial conversation, the Prime Minister appreciated President Trump’s bold and decisive leadership that led to the ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this evening.
During their warm and cordial conversation, the Prime Minister appreciated President Trump’s bold and decisive leadership that led to the ceasefire between… pic.twitter.com/65O3cnmOtu
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) June 26, 2025
He also thanked US Secretary of State Rubio for the key role played by the United States in the Pakistan-India ceasefire.
While exchanging views on the current situation in the Middle East, the Prime Minister stated that Pakistan would continue to play a constructive role in bringing peace to the Middle East.
While appreciating these efforts, Secretary Rubio said the US would like to work with Pakistan to promote peace and stability in the region.
US tightens visa rules for Pakistanis
In related development on Thursday, Pakistani applicants for the F, M, or J categories of non-immigrant visas were advised by the United States consulates in Karachi and Lahore to make their social media accounts public for vetting, according to a report.
The instructions followed similar advice issued by the US Embassy in New Delhi earlier this week. The move came after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the resumption of student visa appointments, accompanied by significantly stricter social media vetting of applicants.
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States,” the consulates said in an Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DLUZ0VBAVep/?hl=en&img_index=1
The post stated that since 2019, the US has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms. It added that applicants must fill out social media identifiers and account handles for each platform on the application form.
F and M are different student visa types, while the J visa is a non-immigrant visa for individuals approved to participate in exchange visitor programmes in the US. “Omitting social media information on your application could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future US visas,” the consulate warned.
