- Secretary of State says stronger ties with Islamabad not at India’s expense, calling Pakistan–US ties ‘encouraging and forward-looking’
- Notes maturity in India’s response to closer US–Pakistan engagement, saying partnership aims to go beyond counterterror cooperation
WASHINGTON: The United States sees a major opportunity to deepen its strategic partnership with Pakistan and broaden cooperation beyond counterterrorism, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, emphasizing that the renewed engagement with Islamabad does not come at the expense of Washington’s historic ties with India.
Speaking at a press briefing in Washington, Rubio said that the strengthening of relations between the US and Pakistan reflected a pragmatic, multi-vector foreign policy approach. Responding to a question on whether New Delhi had raised concerns over Washington’s growing closeness with Islamabad, he said, “They really haven’t—I mean, we know they’re concerned for obvious reasons because of the tensions that have existed between Pakistan and India historically. But I think they have to understand, we have to have relations with a lot of different countries.”
According to a transcript of the briefing released by the State Department, the secretary of state said, “We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan, and that’s our job—to figure out how many countries we can work with on things of common interest.”
Rubio praised India’s diplomatic maturity, noting that New Delhi also maintained partnerships with countries outside the US orbit. “They have some relationships with countries that we don’t have relationships with,” he remarked. “It’s part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy. I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important.”
When asked if the recent improvement in ties with Islamabad stemmed from Pakistan’s recognition of the role played by US President Donald Trump in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan during their four-day military escalation, Rubio said, “I think they appreciated it.”
He elaborated that the process of rebuilding trust and cooperation had already begun before that episode. “Even before that conflict had started, I had already reached out to them and said, look, we are interested in rebuilding an alliance, a strategic partnership with you. We think there are things we can work together with them on,” he said.
Rubio reiterated that the United States was “fully aware of the challenges” arising from the South Asian rivalry, but its aim was to explore “partnerships with countries where it’s possible.” He added, “We’ve had a long history of partnering with Pakistan on counterterrorism and things of that nature. We’d like to expand it beyond that, if possible, understanding that there’ll be some difficulties and some challenges.”
Describing the current trajectory of relations as “very encouraging,” he underlined that the revitalized partnership with Islamabad should not be seen as a trade-off with any other country. “I don’t think it comes at the expense of, or instead of, a good relationship with India, or anybody else for that matter,” Rubio concluded.
Analysts view the development as part of a broader realignment in Washington’s approach to South Asia, with Pakistan entering a new phase of its economic and strategic engagement with the United States. The evolving partnership is being shaped not only by security cooperation but also by emerging collaboration in the minerals and industrial sectors.
In September, American firm US Strategic Metals (USSM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan to invest around $500 million in establishing mineral processing and development facilities in the country. The company recently dispatched its first consignment of mineral samples—prepared locally in collaboration with the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO)—to the United States to advance the agreement. The shipment includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium.
In its statement, USSM described the delivery as “a milestone in the Pakistan–US strategic partnership,” adding that the MoU “establishes a roadmap for cooperation across the entire mineral value chain—from exploration and processing to the establishment of refineries inside Pakistan.”
Diplomatic observers note that the minerals partnership has added a new dimension to bilateral ties, complementing renewed security and political engagement between the two countries.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Washington for a five-day official tour in June, during which he met President Donald Trump over a luncheon—becoming the first serving army chief to hold a one-on-one meeting with a sitting US president. During his second visit in August, Field Marshal Munir termed the renewed engagement “a new dimension” in Pakistan–US relations.
In September, he accompanied Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to a meeting with President Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session, where regional security, counter-terrorism cooperation, and economic opportunities were discussed.
President Trump, meanwhile, publicly thanked both Prime Minister Shehbaz and “my favourite” Field Marshal Munir for their role in securing a ceasefire in Gaza and on Saturday praised them as “great people,” expressing optimism that the United States would help resolve the Pakistan–Afghanistan border tensions “very quickly.”
Officials and analysts alike believe that the combination of diplomatic engagement, high-level defence dialogue, and emerging mineral cooperation points toward a reset in Pakistan–US ties, marking a shift from transactional security cooperation to a more strategic, diversified partnership built on mutual economic and regional interests.
