Bismillah -ir- Rahman-ir- Rahem
 
Mr. Frederick Kempe, President of the Atlantic Council,
Mr. Nick Schifrin,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Assalam-o-Aliakum and a very good afternoon.
 
Thank you for the kind welcome at the prestigious Atlantic Council. It is a pleasure to be here again in Washington DC – this city reflects the weight of global decision-making.
 
We deeply value our engagement with US think tanks and policy institutions, and I look forward to a fruitful exchange today between us.
 
The world is changing at a rapid pace. Old certainties are giving way to new realities.
 
Power is diffused and conflict is complex.
 
The global economy is under pressure.
 
Climate, technology, and geopolitics are converging.
 
In such challenging times, peace cannot be passive.
 
Pakistan believes in peace through resilience and responsibility. A youthful nation of 240 million – fifth largest in the world – Pakistan is a nuclear power. We are also a peace-seeking and peace loving nation.
 
Stability in South Asia is vital – for us and for the world. Borrowing from the “Peace through Strength” paradigm, deterrence matters. So does dialogue.
 
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
Pakistan is turning a corner.
 
Since our government assumed office, Pakistan has taken tough decisions to surmount external challenges to our economy.
 
We concluded a successful IMF program. The first review of the 37-month, $7 billion Extended Fund Facility validates Pakistan’s macroeconomic stabilization efforts and pursuit of structural reforms.
 
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
Recent improvements in macroeconomic indicators are evident through improved current account balance, stable exchange rate, declining inflation, and rebuilding of forex reserves.
 
Terrorism remains a challenge – but we are fighting back.
 
Democracy is not only functioning, but thriving. The government is committed to human development with substantial investments in health, education, skills development and social protection.
 
In the realm of governance and political reform, we remain committed to deepening the rule of law, freedom of expression, and pluralism – values we share with the American people and ideals we hope to see upheld consistently.
 
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
Our relationship with the United States is enduring, wide-ranging and evolving.
 
It has proved to be a consequential partnership whenever the two countries converged on global issues, be it the Cold War or the War on Terror.
 
We are encouraged by the upward trajectory in our bilateral partnership since President Trump assumed office.
 
Earlier today, I held a very productive meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and we agreed on our shared commitment to deepen and broaden the Pak-US bilateral partnership.
 
Our nations are coming closer, and we have made considerable progress already in a short span of six months.
 
In his joint address to the Congress, President Trump recognized Pakistan’s vital assistance in capturing Abbey Gate mastermind Sharifullah. Pakistan’s significance for US national security in battling global terrorist outfits has been underscored by the US military leadership – more recently by Commander CENTCOM General Kurilla.
 
Leadership exchanges are on the rise.
 
As evidenced by May 2025 ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the US has emerged as a credible arbiter of peace and stability in South Asia.
 
In rebooting our bilateral partnership for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, our two sides have moved beyond a transactional lens.
 
We seek a relationship grounded not in dependency, but in mutual benefit. Not in blame, but in dialogue. Not in narrow counterterrorism checklists, but in broad-based cooperation.
 
We are working together to constructively address each other’s concerns and advance our mutual trust and interest.
 
Our dialogue spans security, energy, technology, industry, IT, AI, counterterrorism and regional peace.
 
Our economic ties are ascendent. We are working constructively to finalize a trade deal soon.
 
Dear friends,
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
We value our economic partnership with the United States.
 
We see trade, not just aid, as the future.
 
The United States is the largest single-country destination for Pakistani exports. Our cost-effective and quality textiles and apparel ensure keeping costs low for the households. This industry is also an example of a great partnership. Not many are aware that Pakistan is the second-largest buyer of US cotton – contributing to the wellbeing of US farmers.
 
Pakistan seeks better market access in the US. On our part, we are working towards granting greater market access to the US products in the large Pakistani market.
 
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
Talks in this regard are underway. These include discussions on textiles, digital trade, and agriculture. We hope to conclude a mutually beneficial trade agreement at the earliest. Hopefully in days, not in weeks.
 
Pakistan has competitive advantage in IT and is blessed with mineral and mining resources including rare earths material. We are also creating a blockchain and crypto ecosystem. We welcome US investments – especially in energy, mining, technology, and startups.
 
Eventually, a Free Trade Agreement could be a game-changer to boost our economic partnership.
 
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
I would now dilate on the situation in our region. A region, which like others, cannot prosper if conflict persists.
 
On Tuesday this week, I presided over a UN Security Council session on “Strengthening Peace and Security through Multilateralism and the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes.” Incidentally you would be happy to note that after quite some time, the Security Council found a consensus resolution on the topic which has been very rare in the current environment of last few years.
 
Jammu and Kashmir remains a core dispute between Pakistan and India. At the heart of this dispute lies adherence to the UN Security Council Resolutions reaffirming the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people. India has illegally usurped this right for seven decades and continues with this tyrannical occupation.
 
India’s unilateral actions in August 2019 were illegal and unilateral. Its actions to change the demographics of the disputed region are in contravention of the international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention are surely not acceptable to anyone who believes in justice, security and peace.
 
India uses the terrorism bogey to mislead the world and malign Pakistan.
 
This is what happened on 22nd April of this year, when India instantaneously blamed Pakistan for the Pahalgam incident.
 
The India-Pakistan standoff this May – sparked by a familiar pattern of escalation and mutual distrust – brought the region dangerously close to the brink.
 
Once again, crisis diplomacy, backchannel communications, and international engagement – particularly from the United States and friendly countries– played a critical role in de-escalation.
 
We are thankful to President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio and his team for facilitating the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. We are committed to sustaining it. Unlike our neighbor and its leadership you wont have heard any political rhetoric, saying that this is temporary. We are going to roll out the real one. No. We believe in peace and we never escalated, as a first mover. We only acted, both in the skies and on the ground, in self-defense as per the charter, Article 51 of the UN charter.
 
But we cannot and we must not continue to rely on luck and last-minute interventions.
 
What we need is a sustainable architecture for peace in South Asia. An architecture in which the United States, as a global power and historic partner to both nations, can play a constructive and stabilizing role.
 
Pakistan does not seek conflict with any of its neighbors. Our vision is not rooted in rivalry, but in regional connectivity and you have just seen that on 17th of July, after efforts of two years, I visited Kabul where Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a railway connectivity project known as Trans-Afghan Railway. Our vision is not rooted in rivalry, but in regional connectivity – in trade corridors, energy partnerships, climate resilience, and cultural exchange.
 
Regional peace, however, will remain elusive until all parties, including India, commit to dialogue and dispute resolution in good faith and under international norms.
 
The ‘New Normal’ which India tried to establish has been buried between 7th and 10th of May. The claim of supremacy; the claim of hegemony; the claim of net security provider is just gone.
 
In this regard, I want to underscore the importance of credible, continued US engagement. This includes strategic dialogue, but also military-to-military coordination, counterterrorism cooperation, and importantly, clear-eyed diplomacy that recognizes both the risks of disengagement and the potential of balanced involvement.
 
Dear Friends,
 
The relationship between the United States and China is the most consequential in the 21st Century.
 
Cooperation between the two could help lift millions out of poverty and augur well for global development and prosperity. Conflict, on the other hand, would prove disastrous for the entire world.
 
China is our strategic partner and the United States is our longstanding friend. In the past, we have played the role of a bridge between the two great nations, and stand ready to do the same today, if called upon.
 
Our foreign policy is not zero-sum game. We hope to see friendly relations between the US and China, and do not wish to be embroiled in bloc politics.
 
A stable Afghanistan is in our vital interest.
 
We want an Afghanistan that is peaceful, inclusive, and sovereign.
 
However, the threat of terrorism from Afghan soil is real, and the biggest threat to Pakistan’s security. While on 19th of April this year, after four years of almost stalemate between the two countries, I visited for a day. We discussed politics; we discussed trade; we discussed economy; we discussed refugees; we discussed everything under the sun and the decisions were made public instantly after the meeting and both nations heard live. You would be glad to know whatever I committed on 19th of April, everything has been implemented so far. That led to the confidence and that led to the signing of Trans-Afghan Railway project on 17th of July when I visited for four hours, Kabul, just for this purpose.
 
We continue to urge the Interim Afghan Government to fulfill their anti-terror commitments.
We have no ask. We want to fully cooperate as a neighbor. We have centuries-old relationship. We have almost same culture so the only thing is that their soil should not be allowed against any country, what to talk about Pakistan for terrorist activities. This is the only ask.
 
We are deeply concerned by the violence in Gaza with loss of over 50,000 innocent lives, predominantly women and children. And now for the last few days, we are watching the hunger issue.
 
We call for an immediate ceasefire, durable peace and rebuilding of Gaza. A two-state solution is the only path to lasting peace.
 
Pakistan’s declared foreign policy for decades is two-states solution with Palestine having its own homeland, a contiguous, secure, stable, sovereign country for the Palestinians with Al-Quds Al Sharif its capital and pre-1967 its borders.
 
On Iran, Pakistan calls for de-escalation and dialogue. We supported regional diplomacy and we tried to prevent the enlargement of what we saw on 12 days war between Israel and Iran. We will continue to support and encourage Iran for dialogue and diplomacy and I believe, again as a neighbor, we are performing this as a duty, not as an obligation.
 
Dear Friends,
 
I will conclude by underscoring that:
 
Pakistan seeks peace – with dignity.
We seek partnerships – grounded in mutual trust and respect.
And we seek progress – for our people, for our region, and for the entire world.
 
I thank you for your time, your patience hearing, your anticipated questions, and your enduring commitment to a future where the US-Pakistan partnership can rise above history – and help shape it.
 
I thank you all.

Islamabad
26 July 2025