Karachi: The afternoon of Shehbaz Sharif White House VisitDuring the Biden administration, the former ambassador praised the significant shift in the Pakistan-American alliance.
But diplomatic observers quickly added a warning: the roller coaster nature of past relationships, with several highs and many lows, be aware.
Maleha Lodhi, who previously served as permanent representative for Pakistan and was a former U.S. ambassador, said the continued warming relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan was a “significant shift” after the U.S. evacuation fell to its trough.
“This conference has reinjected more momentum into Pakistan-US connections,” she said. She added that six years later, inviting the Pakistani Prime Minister to the White House, reflecting “we have a sense of Pakistan’s awareness of Pakistan’s geopolitical importance in the region while changing international dynamics”.
“Excellent turnaround” after thawing after Lodhi; Masood Khan welcomes revival intelligence cooperation
“But an assessment of the importance of the White House meeting must wait for the content discussed and the details of the two countries agreeing to cooperate,” Ms. Lodhi added.
“The roller coaster nature of relationships in the past requires caution, which sees several highs and many lows,” she said.
Sardar Masood Khan, a former ambassador to the United States, the United Nations and China, described the White House meeting as a “new strategic moment” in Islamabad-Washington relations.
He said in a statement that while the optical elements of the conference are encouraging, the real material lies in the new cooperative framework for peace, security and economic transformation.
“The unity of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is crucial in persuading President Trump and his team to avoid escalation in Gaza and instead provide a sustainable solution to Palestine.
On bilateral matters, he said the meeting created significant economic vacancy, including a reduction in tariffs on exports to Pakistan and a deal on key minerals, renewable energy, cryptocurrencies and oil exploration.
Mr Khan also welcomed the revival of intelligence cooperation between the two countries, recalling Pakistan’s past cooperation with U.S. agencies in counter-terrorism.
“The new focus will address threats from Afghanistan, Dais and Dehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while also focusing on India’s wide range of terrorist networks in the region,” he said.
He claimed that India had established operational and financial infrastructure for Pakistan and said both Islamabad and Washington now agreed to remove the threats.
Tariq Naqash of Muzaffarabad also contributed to this report
Posted at Dawn on September 27, 2025
