Recent diplomatic engagement by Pakistan with the United States (US) President Donald Trump’s administration has signalled an unexpected thaw in Washington-Islamabad ties, eliciting a strong reaction from India, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Monday.

 

Describing the improved relations between Islamabad and Washington DC as an “unexpected resurgence”, the newspaper said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal General Asim Munir has twice been received in high-level settings in the US this summer, most recently in Florida, where he attended the retirement ceremony of Gen Michael Kurilla, head of US Central Command.

 

According to the FT, a month after the Pakistan and India clashes, Asim Munir met with US President Trump in June for a two-hour private lunch; the meeting was particularly notable as Trump had previously been openly critical of Pakistan.

 

“What’s happening in US-Pakistan relations is a surprise. I would describe the relationship now as one that’s enjoying an unexpected resurgence, even a renaissance. Pakistan has very successfully understood how to engage with such an unconventional president,” the newspaper quoted Michael Kugelman, a non-resident senior fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation, as saying.

 

Attributing the change in tone to a diplomatic strategy by senior Pakistani officials, combining counterterrorism cooperation, outreach to individuals in Trump’s business network, and agreements involving energy, mineral resources, and cryptocurrency, the FT said that the moves were accompanied by positive messaging towards the White House.

 

Citing the transfer of an Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) suspect, Sharifullah, to the US from Pakistan, the report declared the move a key development between both countries. The suspect is alleged to have masterminded the Abbey Gate attack at Kabul airport in August 2021, killing at least 170 Afghans alongside 13 US service members.

When the suspect was being transferred to the US, Trump praised Pakistan for the arrest in his State of the Union address.

 

The newspaper also detailed an April agreement between World Liberty Financial, a Trump-backed cryptocurrency initiative, and Pakistan’s crypto council. One of the venture’s co-founders remarked during a visit to Pakistan on the scale of the country’s mineral resources.

 

The FT noted that India responded with “deep irritation” to the improving relations, especially since US tariffs on Indian goods were raised to 50 percent, while Pakistan faced a lower rate of 19 percent.

 

Trump's reiteration that he brokered a ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India in May was lauded by Islamabad; conversely, New Delhi emphasized that the agreement had been reached through direct channels between the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) of both countries.