ISLAMABAD: The US has welcomed Pakistan’s election results and expressed a keenness to work with the new government under the leadership of Imran Khan to further its goals of security and stability in South Asia, the US State Department said on Thursday.
In an official statement, department spokesperson Heather Nauert said: “As Pakistan’s elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia.”
Imran Khan, in his victory speech, acknowledged that he was confronted with a “very big foreign policy challenge.”
“Pakistan’s relationship with the US should be mutually beneficial ... up until now, that has been one way. We will opt for balanced relations with the US,” he said.
Washington will be working closely with Islamabad, given the two countries’ relationship in light of the US strategy for South Asia and the issue of Afghan peace talks, the US official said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang on Tuesday also welcomed the new prime minister, saying that his country was ready to work with the Pakistani government to stay committed to consolidating political mutual trust, deepening across-the-board practical cooperation and making progress in its all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
Khan vowed to strengthen relations with China, especially given the huge investment made by the country in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“We want to learn from China, how they brought 700 million people out of poverty ... The other thing we can learn from China is ... the measures they have taken against corruption, how they have arrested more than 400 ministers there,” he said.
Commenting on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Shuang said that the economic corridor was a strategic cooperation framework set out by the leaders of the two countries with a view to long-term development. CPEC, he said, aimed to strengthen the dynamics of growth for Pakistan, elevate China-Pakistan all-round cooperation and achieve common development and prosperity.
Khan also expressed disappointment about how the Indian media had portrayed him. “I was saddened in the past few days how the media in India portrayed me as a Bollywood film villain. It seemed like India feared everything bad would happen if Imran Khan came into power. I am the Pakistani who has the most familiarity with India, I have been all over that country.”
He said that the stalemate between the countries had to come to an end. “I think it will be very good for all of us if we have good relations with India. We need to have trade ties, and the more we will trade, both countries will benefit … We are at square one right now (with India). If India’s leadership is ready, we are ready to improve ties with India. If you step forward one step, we will take two steps forward.”
While India has yet to give an official statement recognizing the newly elected government in Pakistan, former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar urged India to resume talks with Pakistan. He noted that Hafiz Saeed’s Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek fielded 50 candidates, and all of them lost.
“More significant than who won is who lost,” the former minister said.
On Kashmir, Khan said: “The unfortunate truth is that Kashmir is a core issue (between India and Pakistan), and the situation in Kashmir, and what the people of Kashmir have seen in the past 30 years ... they have really suffered. Pakistan and India’s leadership should sit at a table and try to fix this problem. It’s not going anywhere.”
Kashmir Council European Union (KCEU) Chairman Ali Raza Syed, in a statement in Brussels, praised Imran Khan’s speech, specially its part on Kashmir, and congratulated him over his party’s victory in the general elections.
Syed said that Khan’s stance in his first speech showed that he gave importance to the Kashmir dispute and hoped that prior to any decision on the issue he would take the Kashmiri leadership into his confidence.
He also asked India to stop human rights violation in occupied Kashmir and give a positive response to Khan’s stance on Kashmir. He said that the Kashmiri leadership should be part of any dialogue aimed at settling the Kashmir dispute.
“Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory and Kashmiris who suffered for the past seven decades are a basic party to the dispute,” he said.
World welcomes Pakistan's prime minister-in-waiting
World welcomes Pakistan's prime minister-in-waiting
- “US will look for opportunities to work with the new government to advance goals of security, stability and prosperity in South Asia” — US State Department
- Kashmir lauds Imran Khan as new prime minister of Pakistan
Pakistan says defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated brotherly ties to ‘new heights’
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed strategic defense pact last year pledging aggression against one will be treated as attack on both
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form vital pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan’s defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated its brotherly ties with the Kingdom to “new heights,” stressing that close ties with Arab and Islamic nations form a key pillar of Islamabad’s foreign policy.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement on Sept. 17 last year, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both, enhancing joint deterrence and formalizing decades of military and security cooperation.
Both nations agreed in October 2025 to launch an economic cooperation framework to strengthen trade and investment ties.
“In the Middle East, our landmark Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia has elevated our brotherly ties to new heights,” Dar said while speaking at the Pakistan Governance Forum 2026 event in Islamabad.
The Pakistani deputy prime minister was speaking on the topic “Navigating International Relations Amidst Changing Geo-Politics.”
Dar noted that Pakistan has reinforced partnerships with other Middle Eastern nations such as the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain. He said these partnerships have yielded “concrete agreements” in investment, agriculture, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
“Our enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form a vital pillar of our foreign policy, and we will continue to expand our partnerships across Asia, Latin America, and Africa,” he said.
Dar pointed out that the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have undertaken visits to Pakistan in recent months, reflecting Central Asian nations’ desire to boost cooperation with Islamabad.
On South Asia, the Pakistani deputy PM said Pakistan has successfully transformed its fraternal ties with Bangladesh into “a substantive partnership.”
“Similarly, the trilateral mechanism involving China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has been launched with a view to expanding and deepening regional cooperation and synergy,” the Pakistani minister said.
He said Islamabad has strengthened its “all-weather” partnership with China via the second phase of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agreement and “unwavering support” from both sides for each other’s core interests.
Dar said Pakistan had also reinvigorated its partnership with the US, advancing cooperation in trade, technology, investment, and regional stability.
“This calibrated approach has enhanced our ability to navigate complexity with skill and confidence, ensuring that our national interests are served without compromising our core foreign policy principles,” he said.
