US Pakistan Relations
The United States administration has offered Pakistan cooperation in the supply of US-manufactured locomotives as well as collaboration in the development of the country’s mineral resources.
According to official sources, the discussions took place around two months ago during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s visit to Washington on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings.
Sources said that US Special Assistants Raymond Emory Cox and Ricky Gill, during meetings with the Pakistani delegation, emphasized that safeguarding American commercial interests remains a key priority of the Trump administration.
Ricky Gill sought Pakistan’s support for the purchase of US-built locomotives, for which a tender has already been issued. Pakistan Railways had earlier procured 55 locomotives from the United States a few years ago. However, Pakistan Railways is currently facing severe financial constraints and is relying primarily on the repair and rehabilitation of its existing fleet. Recently, the cost of a project to rehabilitate 100 diesel-electric locomotives was increased to Rs16 billion.
Meanwhile, US officials also stressed cooperation in Pakistan’s critical minerals sector. The US Congress has established a $135 billion global fund aimed at investment in critical minerals, while the US EXIM Bank has approved a $1.25 billion loan for the Reko Diq Mining Company in Balochistan.
Senior US State Department official Thomas Lersten proposed cooperation in mineral resource estimation, offtake agreements, and accelerated extraction processes. He also described artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic priority for the United States and indicated that US Under Secretary for Energy Jacob Helberg is likely to visit Pakistan soon.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb also met US Assistant Secretary Robert Kaproth. American officials expressed interest in cooperation in digital finance, stable coin regulatory frameworks, and cross-border digital collaboration
