Pakistan, US vow to advance ties in Dar-Rubio call

Pakistan and the United States agreed to advance their bilateral relationship as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed regional and global developments on Saturday night.

Both leaders voiced satisfaction with what they described as the “positive trajectory” of ties.

According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rubio called Dar to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to strengthening cooperation across multiple areas.

The ministry said the exchange reflected continuity in dialogue following recent high-level engagements in Washington, the first cabinet-level talks between the two countries since 2016.

The conversation comes on the eve of the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha on September 15, co-sponsored by Pakistan, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to join regional leaders in condemning Israel’s recent strikes in Qatar.

Foreign Minister Dar will attend a preparatory ministerial session on Sunday to help finalize a resolution on the attacks.

The summit follows a week of heightened tensions after Israeli warplanes struck Doha, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer.

The unprecedented attack drew strong international criticism, including from Gulf states long considered U.S. allies, and raised concerns about further instability across the Middle East.

Regional leaders are expected to use the gathering to demonstrate unity against Israeli actions, with discussions also covering the broader crisis in Gaza, Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, and threats to Palestinian communities.

Pakistan has been vocal in condemning Israeli strikes and framing the summit as a critical platform to bolster solidarity with Qatar while calling for regional peace.

Prime Minister Sharif reinforced this stance during his September 11 visit to Doha, where he expressed Islamabad’s support for Qatar’s sovereignty and regional stability.