Pakistan's US Opening Looks Well Beyond The Next Crisis

With roughly 255 million people and an economy exceeding $400 billion, the country offers a substantial consumer, labor and services market. Its position between China, Afghanistan, Iran and the Arabian Sea - with access toward Central Asian and Gulf markets - lends commercial significance to geography more often viewed through a security lens.

Technology offers perhaps the clearest example of bilateral cooperation that requires no geopolitical emergency to sustain. Software, digital services, fintech and business-to-business investment are growing because firms see commercial value, even when Washington and Islamabad differ on other regional questions.

Energy could become another practical area of cooperation. Prospective US financing for refinery upgrades would place energy infrastructure alongside trade and technology while supporting a sector central to Pakistan's long-term growth and energy security.

Critical minerals could add another economic-security dimension. Washington is placing greater emphasis on resilient mineral supply chains, while Pakistan is seeking foreign investment in copper, gold and other resources.

The Reko Diq mine in Balochistan illustrates both Pakistan's mineral promise and complexity. The copper-gold project could eventually generate substantial activity in mining, engineering, transport and processing, but Barrick said in April that it was slowing development and extending its review until mid-2027 while reassessing security conditions, financing, capital requirements, project scope and timing.

The broader lesson is that mineral resources deliver the greatest strategic value when infrastructure, financing, regulatory frameworks, security arrangements and investor confidence all support long-term development. Pakistan's case therefore rests not only on the scale of its resources, but on whether major projects can become bankable, secure and integrated into global supply chains.

That all said, counterterrorism is still crucial to US-Pakistan relations. On September 16, Mohammad Sharifullah, an ISIS-K operative involved in planning the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, was sentenced in the United States to 20 years in prison. The attack killed 13 US service members and scores of Afghan civilians; Sharifullah was apprehended in 2025 before being transferred to the United States for prosecution.

His case offered a concrete example of cooperation against a threat of direct concern to Washington. Pakistan also continues to bear a high domestic cost from militancy: its Foreign Ministry said in August that more than 90,000 Pakistanis have been killed and economic losses have exceeded $150 billion in the country's fight against terrorism.

The fourth US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue in August addressed border security, terrorist-facilitation networks and threats from ISIS-K, al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its affiliates.

High-level diplomacy has also grown more regular. Sharif and Rubio met in Washington in February and agreed to expand trade, economic activity and counterterrorism cooperation.

In May, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Rubio again to discuss economic ties, cultural cooperation and security. Pakistan's official account said Rubio also acknowledged Islamabad's diplomatic and mediatory efforts.