Pakistan–US ties entering new era: PM Shehbaz
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended greetings to the United States on its 249th Independence Day, stating that bilateral ties are entering a 'new era' of cooperation and understanding.
Speaking at a ceremony hosted by the US Embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday, he congratulated the American people and expressed Pakistan's commitment to further strengthening relations between the two nations.
'On the 249th Independence Day of the United States, I extend heartfelt congratulations,' Sharif said. 'We are committed to further strengthening our relations, and both countries are entering a new era of partnership,' he added.
He highlighted the historical ties between the two nations, noting that the United States was among the first countries to recognise Pakistan after its independence in 1947.
وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کا ریاست ہائے متحدہ امریکہ کی آزادی کی 249ویں سالگرہ کی تقریب سے خطاب! https://t.co/lenRTBKjya — Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) June 4, 2025
'There is a history of Pakistan–US relations,' Sharif said, adding, 'The US is one of the earliest countries to recognise Pakistan.'
The prime minister also reflected on Pakistan's sacrifices in the global fight against terrorism, underscoring the toll it has taken on the nation.
'We have suffered immense losses in the war against terrorism,' he said. 'Pakistan's sacrifices in counter-terrorism efforts are second to none.'
The event was attended by diplomats, civil and military officials, and members of the Pakistani and international communities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
19 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
French minister says EU-US trade deal has merits but is also unbalanced
PARIS: France's European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad said on Monday that a framework trade deal between the United States and European Union had some merits - such as exemptions for some key French business sectors such as spirits - but was unbalanced. 'The trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission with the United States will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced,' wrote Haddad on X.
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
US, China to launch new talks on tariff truce extension, easing path for Trump-Xi meeting
STOCKHOLM: Top US and Chinese economic officials will resume talks in Stockholm on Monday to try to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the centre of a trade war between the world's top two economies, aiming to extend a truce by three months and keeping sharply higher tariffs at bay. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with President Donald Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary deals in May and June to end weeks of escalating tit-for-tat tariffs and a cut-off of rare earth minerals. Without an agreement, global supply chains could face renewed turmoil from U.S. duties snapping back to triple-digit levels that would amount to a bilateral trade embargo. The Stockholm talks come hot on the heels of Trump's biggest trade deal yet with the European Union on Sunday for a 15% tariff on most EU goods exports to the U.S., including autos. The bloc will also buy $750 billion worth of American energy and make $600 billion worth of U.S. investments in coming years. No similar breakthrough is expected in the U.S.-China talks but trade analysts said that another 90-day extension of a tariff and export control truce struck in mid-May was likely. An extension of that length would prevent further escalation and facilitate planning for a potential meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in late October or early November. A U.S. Treasury spokesperson declined comment on a South China Morning Post report quoting unnamed sources as saying the two sides would refrain from introducing new tariffs or other steps that could escalate the trade war for another 90 days. Trump's administration is poised to impose new sectoral tariffs that will impact China within weeks, including on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, ship-to-shore cranes and other products. 'We're very close to a deal with China. We really sort of made a deal with China, but we'll see how that goes,' Trump told reporters on Sunday before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck their tariff deal. Deeper issues Previous U.S.-China trade talks in Geneva and London in May and June focused on bringing U.S. and Chinese retaliatory tariffs down from triple-digit levels and restoring the flow of rare earth minerals halted by China and Nvidia's H20 AI chips and other goods halted by the United States. So far, the talks have not delved into broader economic issues. They include U.S. complaints that China's state-led, export-driven model is flooding world markets with cheap goods, and Beijing's complaints that U.S. national security export controls on tech goods seek to stunt Chinese growth. US, China to resume tariff talks in effort to extend truce 'Geneva and London were really just about trying to get the relationship back on track so that they could, at some point, actually negotiate about the issues which animate the disagreement between the countries in the first place,' said Scott Kennedy, a China economics expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. 'I'd be surprised if there is an early harvest on some of these things but an extension of the ceasefire for another 90 days seems to be the most likely outcome,' Kennedy said. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already flagged a deadline extension and has said he wants China to rebalance its economy away from exports to more domestic consumption – a decades-long goal for U.S. policymakers. Analysts say the U.S.-China negotiations are far more complex than those with other Asian countries and will require more time. China's grip on the global market for rare earth minerals and magnets, used in everything from military hardware to car windshield wiper motors, has proved to be an effective leverage point on U.S. industries. Trump-XI meeting? In the background of the talks is speculation about a possible meeting between Trump and Xi in late October. Trump has said he will decide soon on a landmark trip to China, and a new flare-up of tariffs and export controls would likely derail planning. Sun Chenghao, a fellow at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy in Beijing, said that a Trump-Xi summit would be an opportunity for the U.S. to lower the 20% tariffs on Chinese goods related to fentanyl. In exchange, he said the Chinese side could make good on its 2020 pledge to increase purchases of U.S. farm products and other goods. 'The future prospect of the heads of state summit is very beneficial to the negotiations because everyone wants to reach an agreement or pave the way in advance,' Sun said. Still, China will likely request a reduction of multi-layered U.S. tariffs totaling 55% on most goods and further easing of U.S. high-tech export controls, analysts said. Beijing has argued that such purchases would help reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China, which reached $295.5 billion in 2024.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Five die in firing on Tirah protesters
Listen to article Five people died and 17 others sustained injuries when protesters were fired upon during a protest outside a military installation against the killing of a girl in the Tirah Vally of the Khyber district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), tribal elders stated on Sunday. The protest ended after negotiations between tribal elders and security officials. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the shooting at the Bagh Maidan area of Tirah Valley. Tension gripped the area after the death of a 10-year-old girl the other day. Following the incident, the victim's relatives and local citizens reached the main gate of the Brigade Headquarters this morning to protest. The protesters shouted slogans against the incident and set a dispensary on fire. In the meanwhile, the shooting broke out in which three people died on the spot. Later two more injured succumbed to their wounds while on way to a hospital. Police sources said that 17 injured were taken to a local hospital but six of them were later shifted to Peshawar hospitals and seven to Orakzai district. Fifteen injured were identified as Ajmal, Abdul Halim, Ayub Khan, Siraj, Jartaj, Baitullah, Aamir Hassan, Rehmanullah, Muhammad Sadiq, Nazar Muhammad and Abu Bakar — all residents of Zakhakhel — Khan Zeb and Muhammad Javed of Shlobar; and Sher Zaman, Qasim, and Saeed Khan of Malk Din Khel. Later, the tribal elders met with security officials and presented their demands: case against those involved in the death of the girl; vacation of the occupied houses of local citizens, end to unnecessary harassment at the security check posts and financial assistance to the families of the deceased. The security forces' agreed to Rs1.5 million compensation to the families of each deceased and Rs200,000 assistance to each injured. After a partial agreement on the demands, the protesters ended the protest, and the situation started to return to normalcy. In Islamabad, meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the martyrdom of innocent and peaceful citizens due to the firing from Fitna al-Khawarij and directed the authorities concerned to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured. K-P Chief Minister Gandapur also expressed deep sorrow and grief over the Tirah incident and announced financial assistance of Rs10 million for the heirs of each deceased and Rs2.5 million for each injured, according to an Express News report. The chief minister called a Peshawar Jirga, consisting of tribal elders and public representatives so that local sentiments and concerns could be heard. He directed the district administration and the institutions to strengthen public communication and maintain order. Gandapur said that a series of jirgas of tribal elders would start from next week at the divisional and then provincial levels. National Assembly member from the area Iqbal Afridi and K-P Assembly member Abdul Ghani Afridi condemned the incident. (WITH INPUT FROM APP)
