US Sees Opportunity to Broaden Strategic Partnership with Pakistan: Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Washington – October 27: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Washington sees “an opportunity to expand its strategic relationship with Pakistan,” stressing that the renewed engagement with Islamabad does not come at the expense of America’s long-standing ties with India.

Speaking at a press briefing, Rubio was asked whether New Delhi had expressed concerns over the United States’ growing cooperation with Pakistan. “They really haven’t,” he said, according to a transcript published on the State Department’s website. “We know they’re concerned for obvious reasons because of the historical tensions between Pakistan and India. But we have to have relations with a lot of different countries.”

He added that India’s diplomatic maturity allowed for a pragmatic approach. “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important,” Rubio said.

The secretary of state described Pakistan as a long-time partner, particularly in counterterrorism efforts, and noted Washington’s intent to expand cooperation beyond security. “We think there are things we can work together on,” he said. “Our job is to create opportunities for partnerships where possible, even while understanding there will be challenges.”

Rubio’s remarks come amid a recent upswing in US–Pakistan relations, which officials in both capitals have described as entering “a new strategic phase.” Earlier this year, Pakistan and the US moved forward with a rare earth minerals partnership, with American firm US Strategic Metals (USSM) signing a $500 million memorandum of understanding to establish processing facilities in Pakistan.

The warming of ties followed US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic role in de-escalating a brief military standoff between Islamabad and New Delhi earlier this year — a move publicly acknowledged by Pakistan. Since then, high-level exchanges have accelerated, including two official visits to Washington by Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and a joint meeting between President Trump, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Munir on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

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Rubio said the growing partnership reflects a “mature, pragmatic foreign policy” by both sides, adding that the United States views the strengthened ties as “encouraging” and beneficial for regional stability.