Dar to Meet US Secretary Marco Rubio in Major Diplomatic Engagement

Washington, D.C. – July 20, 2025
In a significant step toward renewing high-level bilateral ties, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on July 25, following his participation in major UN engagements in New York.

The upcoming meeting marks the first cabinet-level dialogue between the US and Pakistan since 2016, following years of minimal diplomatic interaction. It follows closely on the heels of President Trump’s White House luncheon with Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, which signalled a broader thaw in relations.

Strategic Reset After Years of Dormancy
Mr. Dar is due to arrive in New York on Sunday to lead a series of high-level engagements under Pakistan’s presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC). These include:

Chairing an open UNSC debate on “Promoting international peace and security through multilateralism and peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Presiding over the quarterly debate on the “Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question.”

Leading a briefing on UN-OIC cooperation, and

Attending a key conference on the “Peaceful settlement of the Palestine issue and the two-state solution.”

These meetings underscore Pakistan’s renewed diplomatic visibility on the global stage, especially within multilateral forums.

High-Stakes Washington Meeting
While the UN discussions are diplomatically significant, the focal point of Mr. Dar’s visit remains his meeting with Secretary Marco Rubio. This engagement is expected to revive the strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the United States, which has been dormant for nearly a decade.

Senior diplomats suggest that the conversation will cover regional security, trade, counter-terrorism cooperation, and economic investment—particularly in emerging sectors such as critical minerals, AI, and blockchain technology.

Economic Engagement on the Rise
Mr. Dar’s visit follows closely after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s talks in Washington with US officials including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The meetings centered around a long-anticipated trade and tariff agreement aimed at enhancing bilateral economic ties.

“We must move beyond the immediate trade imperative,” said Mr. Aurangzeb. “For Pakistan-US relations to evolve, strategic investment is the key, particularly in areas like AI, crypto, and mineral extraction.”

These discussions reflect a broader shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy, emphasizing diversified economic partnerships, tech-driven collaboration, and regional diplomacy.

The Dar-Rubio meeting is expected to set the tone for future engagements and may lay the groundwork for a revived strategic framework between Islamabad and Washington.

If successful, it could also open doors to multilateral cooperation, enhanced regional security dialogues, and renewed US investment interest in Pakistan’s digital and resource sectors.