(Web Desk) – Relations between Pakistan and the United States have seen an unexpected improvement — a development that has caused considerable concern in India, reports British newspaper Financial Times.
This shift stems from recent diplomatic engagements between the administration of US President Donald Trump and Pakistan.
The report notes that Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir made two high-level visits to the US this summer, the latest being to Florida, where he attended the retirement ceremony of US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla.
Earlier in June, Field Marshal Munir had a two-hour meeting and lunch with President Trump — just a month after the bloodiest clash in decades between Pakistan and India.
The meeting is seen as significant given Trump’s history of openly criticizing Pakistan; now, the scenario appears to have changed entirely.
Michael Kugelman, senior analyst at the Asia Pacific Foundation, told the Financial Times that the improvement in Pakistan–US ties is “remarkable.” He described it as an “unexpected reset — in fact, a new era,” adding that Pakistan has mastered the art of engaging with this unconventional president.
The report says Pakistan achieved this breakthrough through a comprehensive strategy that included cooperation on counterterrorism, building ties with key figures in Trump’s business network, signing agreements in the energy, mineral resources, and cryptocurrency sectors, and sending positive messaging to the White House.
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Highlighting a major development, the Financial Times reported that in March, Pakistan captured and handed over to US authorities a key ISIS-Khorasan suspect believed to be the mastermind of the 2021 Kabul airport bombing. President Trump praised the arrest in his “State of the Union” address, calling it a major success for Pakistan.
Furthermore, in April, a deal was reached between Trump-backed cryptocurrency project World Liberty Financial and Pakistan’s Crypto Council. One of the project’s founders, during a visit to Pakistan, lauded the country’s vast mineral wealth.
According to the report, India is deeply angered by the rapid warming of Pakistan–US relations, particularly after the US raised import tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, while keeping them at just 19% for Pakistan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also denied Trump’s claim that the US mediated a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in May, insisting that the agreement was reached through direct military talks between the two countries.