Donald Trump to visit Pakistan soon, says FM Qureshi

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a bilateral meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020. (Reuters)
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Updated 22 January 2020
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Donald Trump to visit Pakistan soon, says FM Qureshi

  • Trump says Washington has never been closer to Islamabad as ‘we are right now’
  • PM Khan says Kabul was the main issue as it concerned both countries

ISLAMABAD: United States President Donald Trump promised to visit Pakistan in the foreseeable future during his hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday.

According to an official statement released by the country’s foreign office, Qureshi said that Pakistan’s prime minister briefed the US president on the measures taken by his administration to satisfy the Financial Action Task Force and sought US support to get Pakistan off the international financial watchdog’s grey list.

Khan also asked the American leader to revisit his country’s travel advisory to Pakistan since that would help the tourism industry in the South Asian country and said that the two sides must try to enhance the quantum of trade between them.

It was also decided during the meeting that an American trade delegation would soon visit Pakistan.

The Pakistani prime minister met with the US president on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday where the two discussed the Afghan peace process and the ongoing situation in Kashmir.

In a brief address to the media, Trump said that the US was watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir “very closely,” and that Washington was prepared to help in the matter, if necessary.

“We were talking about Kashmir in relation to what’s going on with Pakistan and India that we can help, so certainly we’ll be helping. We are watching (developments) and following very closely,” Trump said, without adding any further details.

Khan, for his part, said that Afghanistan had been the “main issue... because it concerns the US and Pakistan.”

“Both of us are interested in peace there and an orderly transition in Afghanistan with talks with the Taliban and the government,” he said.

Khan arrived in Davos on Tuesday where he is expected to hold talks with several world leaders on the sidelines of the forum which ends on January 23. His meeting with Trump was the third leadership-level interaction between Pakistan and the US since Khan’s visit to Washington in July last year.

He is visiting Davos on the invitation of Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF, and is being accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood, and his special assistants Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari and Dr. Moeed Yusuf for the trip.

The significance of his visit was further highlighted by a Time magazine cover — which features the Pakistani premier alongside four other world leaders in the publication’s special edition of the WEF — which released on Monday.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the WEF.

Khan’s office said that in keeping with this milestone, political leaders, business executives, heads of international organizations and civil society representatives will deliberate on contemporary economic, geopolitical, social and environmental issues.


US says trade with Pakistan could top $8 billion in 2025

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US says trade with Pakistan could top $8 billion in 2025

  • US chargé d’affaires links rising trade to deeper economic engagement with Pakistan
  • Visit comes amid broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties 

ISLAMABAD: Trade between the United States and Pakistan is projected to exceed $8 billion in 2025, the US Embassy said on Tuesday, as Washington signaled confidence in Pakistan’s export base and economic potential during a high-profile visit to the industrial city of Sialkot.

The projection was highlighted by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker during meetings with Pakistani exporters and business leaders, underlining the importance Washington places on trade, investment and supply-chain cooperation as the two countries seek to stabilize and expand their economic relationship.

“Highlighting the growth in trade between the United States and Pakistan, which was projected to reach over $8 billion in 2025, Baker said, ‘Expanding trade reflects a strong foundation that highlights the positive impact of US economic engagement in Pakistan and globally. The United States and Pakistan are pursuing a fair and balanced trade relationship that creates prosperity for both our nations’,” the US embassy said in a statement.

The envoy said the United States had been Pakistan’s largest export market and a leading investor, presenting significant opportunities for expanded trade and shared prosperity. 

“The United States remains deeply invested in Pakistan and its people,” Baker said, “building on a partnership that dates back to Pakistan’s independence and continues to grow through trade, innovation, education, and cultural exchange.”

The visit comes amid a broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties under US President Donald Trump’s second term, after years of uneven engagement. Since mid-2025, the two sides have stepped up diplomatic contacts, including meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s military leadership and US officials, alongside discussions on trade, minerals, security cooperation and regional stability.

Pakistan has also sought to re-energize economic diplomacy with Washington as it works to boost exports, attract foreign investment and stabilize its economy under an IMF-backed reform program. 

In July 2025, the two countries agreed to a bilateral trade deal that included reciprocal tariff reductions and frameworks for US investment in Pakistan’s energy and mineral sectors, a step Islamabad has hailed as opening new avenues for economic collaboration.

During her visit, Baker toured leading exporters including Forward Sports, First American Corporation (FAC) and CA Sports, companies that are deeply embedded in global supply chains. The embassy said nearly 70 percent of FAC’s exports go to the United States, illustrating sustained US consumer demand for Pakistani-made goods.

Baker also visited Sialkot International Airport and met with the leadership of AirSial, highlighting private-sector-led infrastructure and logistics as key to Pakistan’s export growth.