Pakistan and US Close to Final Trade Deal

Pakistan and the United States are close to finishing an important trade deal. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the talks in Washington were very positive, and both countries are working hard to solve the last few issues.

Aurangzeb met with US officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard W. Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He was joined by Pakistan’s Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul and Ambassador Rizwan Sheikh. The goal of these talks is to protect Pakistan’s exports from high US taxes, which are currently at 29 percent.

To help move the deal forward, Pakistan has offered to buy more US products like oil and is inviting American companies to invest in areas like technology, minerals, and digital services. Aurangzeb said the deal is not just about trade. He believes it can lead to a much stronger partnership between the two countries.

Next week, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will visit the United States. He will lead several important meetings at the United Nations in New York. These meetings will focus on peace, the Middle East, and better cooperation between the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Arbitration Centre (OIC-AC). Pakistan hopes to play a bigger role in global peace and diplomacy.