US Senior South Asia official visiting Pakistan will 'underscore' counterterrorism

New York, April 6 (IANS) US President Donald Trump’s administration is sending a senior State Department official to Pakistan to “underscore” counterterrorism cooperation while looking at promoting economic ties.

The State Department said on Saturday that Eric Meyer, the senior official of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, will lead an interagency delegation on a three-day visit to Islamabad.

It said Meyer will “engage with senior officials to underscore the vital importance of our continued collaboration on counterterrorism”.

Meyer “will meet with senior Pakistani officials to expand opportunities for American businesses in Pakistan and promote the deepening of economic ties between our two countries”, it said.

The media note highlighted the delegation’s intent to “advance US interests in the critical minerals sector at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum”.

The top US regional position, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, is vacant, and Trump’s nominee Paul Kapur is awaiting Senate approval.

Former President Joe Biden had virtually ostracised the military-backed governments of Pakistan and had not invited any of its prime ministers to Washington or visited that country.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made overtures to Trump by capturing ISIS-Khorhasan leader Mohammad Sharifullah, the mastermind of the suicide bombing that killed 13 US military personnel near the Kabul Airport during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2023 and handing him over to the US.

In his address to Congress last month, Trump thanked Pakistan “for helping to arrest this monster”.

Sharifullah’s capture and extradition was Pakistan’s attempt to show it could – if it wanted to – cooperate with the US on counterterrorism.

With that out of the way, the Trump administration which has fewer ideological compunctions and takes a transactional approach, is now viewing Pakistan’s business potential — as seen in the Meyer delegation's agenda.

Islamabad has launched a campaign to promote its mineral resources, drawing the attention of Washington, which is looking for strategic minerals.

The Mineral Forum that Meyer will be attending says on its website that its mission is to “establish Pakistan as a key force in the global mining economy, leveraging its vast mineral wealth to drive ... global supply chain resilience”.

Pakistan’s media has been touting the availability of copper, chromite (from which chromium is derived) and, even, lithium needed for large batteries.

US trade with Pakistan was only $7.3 billion in 2024, with the US running a deficit of about $3 billion.

Trump announced last week that he is imposing a 29 per cent reciprocal tariff on Pakistan.

--IANS

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