US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “thanked” Pakistan for its cooperation in countering terrorism during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, held on Friday (July 25) in Washington DC. This comes a month after President Donald Trump thanked Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir for not going into the war with India.
India and Pakistan had engaged in a tense conflict following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Following this, India on May 7 launched retaliatory strikes in an exercise called ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Why has the US thanked Pakistan and what exactly happened?
On an 8-day visit to the United States, Pak Deputy PM Dar attended various sessions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in line with Pakistan’s rotational presidency for the month. He also met with Rubio.
The two leaders engaged in extensive discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties, enhancing trade collaboration, and promoting regional security. They also explored avenues to boost bilateral commerce and foster deeper partnerships within the critical minerals and mining sectors.
In a post on social media platform X, Rubio lauded Pakistan’s partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability.
He also commended Pakistan’s “continued willingness to play a constructive role in mediating conversations with Iran and its commitment to preserving regional stability.”
What was India’s stance on Pakistan harbouring terror?
Needless to say, India has long maintained that the Pakistan government and army is involved in cross-border terrorism. It has also time and again stated that Pakistan also funds and harbours terrorist groups. “While India believes in tourism, Pakistan considers terrorism as tourism, which is very dangerous for the world,” PM Narendra Modi said in address post India’s Operation Sindoor.
PM Modi also called terrorism a means of making monetary gains for the Pakistan government and army, urging the Pakistani population to fight against terror. “Today, India is the fourth largest economy in the world. But what is your situation?,”he added.
Is praising Pakistan a change in stance for the US?
In a way, yes. US Secretary of State Rubio’s comments come a few weeks after the US classified The Resistance Front as a foreign terrorist organisation due to its involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, identifying it as a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Pakistan last week defended the TRF after the US designated it as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, however, Dar recently made a U-turn on the same, saying the United States’ decision to label it as a “terrorist organisation” is welcomed. Speaking at an event in Washington, he said, “It is a sovereign decision of the US. We have no issue.”
Interestingly, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) to a US General Michael Kurilla just a few days back, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to regional peace and his efforts to strengthen defense cooperation between Pakistan and the US.