Islamabad, April 8 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed ways to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries in their first telephone conversation. A key focus of the discussion was the return of US military equipment that was left behind in Afghanistan following the withdrawal in 2021.

As per Pakistan's foreign office, bilateral relations, regional security and economic cooperation were discussed during the telephonic conversation between Dar and Rubio.

“During the call, DPM/FM Dar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the United States. He emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and counter-terrorism”, read a press release issued by Pakistan's foreign office.

“Secretary Rubio reciprocated the desire to collaborate with Pakistan in trade and investment in various sectors, especially critical minerals. He said that cooperation in economy and trade would be the hallmark of future relations between the two countries”, the press release added.

The major focus of the discussion was on counterterrorism cooperation. Dar highlighted Pakistan’s efforts in successfully fighting terrorism during 2013-18, highlighting the damages and losses Islamabad suffered both economically and in terms of human lives.

“Secretary of State Rubio also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and expressed the US desire to further enhance counter-terrorism cooperation. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Secretary Rubio agreed on the need to resolve the issue of US Military equipment left behind in Afghanistan”, read the Pakistan foreign office press release.

Pertinent to note that the calls from Rubio hold great importance as it comes a day after US President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on countries including China. This action was met with an aggressive retaliatory response from Beijing, creating uncertainty in global and Asian markets. As a result, the stock markets experienced a dramatic decline on Monday.

Pakistan has already decided to dispatch a high-level delegation to Washington with hopes that the US tariffs regime could be turned into a win-win situation for both countries.

“You should never let a good crisis go to waste. We are looking at it both as a challenge as well as an opportunity”, said Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.