����ֱ��

KARACHI: Pakistan’s finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, has left for the United States (US) for a “final” round of trade talks between the two countries, the Pakistani finance ministry said on Monday.

Pakistan and the US have been engaged in talks after Washington announced a 29 percent “reciprocal tariff” on Pakistani exports in April. Islamabad said the move, paused on April 9 for a 90-day period, may undercut its fragile, export-led recovery.

The US is Pakistan’s top export destination, with shipments totaling $5.44 billion in fiscal year 2023-2024, according to official data. From July 2024 to February 2025, exports rose 10 percent from a year earlier.

The Pakistani finance ministry said the finalization of a trade agreement between Pakistan and the US will benefit both economies, noting opportunities for partnership between the two countries in various sectors.

“US is Pakistan’s largest trading partner. Pakistan is keen to expand bilateral trade ties to traditional and non-traditional sectors,” it said.

“There are vast opportunities for partnership between the two countries in key sectors such as information technology, minerals and agriculture.”

This is Aurangzeb’s second visit to the US this month. The finance minister last week said that Islamabad and Washington were exploring a shift in their economic engagement, anchored in long-term investment.

“One thing we discussed was that we have to move beyond the immediate trade imperative for it to be brought into the next level and bring in a real step change,” he said, following his meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington.

“So, the investment imperative will come forward, and areas have already been identified in terms of minerals and mining, in terms of AI [artificial intelligence], in terms of digital infrastructure [and] crypto,” Aurangzeb said.

“We feel that this will be a real game changer, God willing, in terms of the relationship and the economic relationship between Pakistan and the United States.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani gunship helicopters have hit militant hideouts near the country’s border with Afghanistan in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a senior police official said on Monday, adding that the days-long operation has left 15 militants dead so far.

Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in KP in recent years. Militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in the region.

Regional Police Officer Abbas Majeed Marwat said the gunship helicopters destroyed several militant hideouts in Kohat, Hangu, Orakzai and Lower Kurram border areas and several militants were seen fleeing to mountain forests in the vicinity.

“Operation against terrorists is underway in Chapri, Kandao, Shanawari, Zargari, Naryab and other mountainous areas. More than 200 army and police personnel are participating in the ongoing grand operation against khawarij [TTP militants],” Marwat said in a statement.

“Fifteen terrorists have been killed and many others have been injured in the operation in Hangu, Karak, Orakzai and Kurram that has been going on for the past ten days.”

Marwat’s comments came a week after eight Pakistani paramilitary troops and four militants were killed in a clash in KP’s Orakzai district that borders Afghanistan.

“Armed terrorists attacked a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy with heavy weapons... The fighting continued for several hours,” AFP news agency quoted a senior local security official as saying.

“Eight FC personnel were killed, and 11 were injured.”

In recent months, Islamabad has frequently accused India of backing militant groups and Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegation.