Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Apr 6: In a significant diplomatic outreach, the Trump administration is dispatching a senior State Department official to Pakistan to reinforce cooperation on counterterrorism and explore avenues to expand economic ties between the two countries.
The US State Department on Saturday announced that Eric Meyer, a senior official in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, will lead an interagency delegation on a three-day visit to Islamabad.
The visit, the statement said, aims to “underscore the vital importance of continued collaboration on counterterrorism” while simultaneously creating opportunities for American businesses in Pakistan.
Meyer is expected to engage with top Pakistani leaders and participate in the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum, where discussions will focus on advancing US interests in strategic and critical minerals, including copper, chromite, and lithium vital components in global tech and clean energy supply chains.
The outreach follows Pakistan's recent move to capture and extradite ISIS-Khorasan leader Mohammad Sharifullah, the mastermind behind the 2023 Kabul Airport suicide bombing that killed 13 US soldiers. US President Donald Trump publicly thanked Pakistan for this cooperation in his recent address to Congress, signaling a thaw in ties.
While former President Joe Biden kept distance from Pakistan’s military-backed leadership, Trump’s transactional foreign policy now sees strategic potential in Islamabad — particularly in its mineral wealth and geopolitical leverage in the region.
However, bilateral trade remains modest. In 2024, US-Pakistan trade stood at $7.3 billion, with the US running a $3 billion trade deficit. To address this, Trump last week announced a 29 per cent reciprocal tariff on Pakistani goods, adding a new dimension to the evolving relationship.
The Minerals Forum, which Meyer will attend, aims to position Pakistan as a key player in the global mining economy, aligning with US efforts to diversify critical mineral sources away from traditional suppliers like China.
With the top US post for South Asia still vacant — Trump’s nominee Paul Kapur awaits Senate confirmation — Meyer’s visit signals Washington’s intent to re-engage Islamabad both strategically and economically.