Finance minister heads to US for final trade negotiations

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Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has departed for the United States to engage in high-level negotiations aimed at concluding the Pakistan–US trade dialogue, the finance ministry announced in a press release on Monday.

Auran­gzeb and US Trade Representative Jami­eson Greer launched the negotiations through a telephonic conference call on reciprocal tariffs in May, agreeing to get into technical discussions in the coming weeks. The talks began after the US proposed a 29 per cent duty on Pakistani exports and later temporarily suspended the decision.

By July, talks in Washington had entered their final phase. Aurangzeb described the dialogue as “very constructive,” emphasising a shared commitment to resolving outstanding issues and moving toward finalising a broad economic framework.

During this visit, the finance minister will lead concluding discussions with senior US officials including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Greer.

“The aim is to formalise a comprehensive trade agreement expected to yield mutual economic benefits for both nations,” the statement read.

The finance ministry highlighted that robust trade and economic ties remained the backbone of Pak-US ties.

It noted that the US is still Pakistan’s largest trading partner.

“Pakistan is eager to expand cooperation into non-traditional sectors such as information technology, agriculture, and minerals — all offering significant growth potential,” it added.

It concluded that Pakistan seeks to boost bilateral trade beyond traditional goods by encouraging US investment in critical sectors, including energy and mining.

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