US national security adviser calls Pakistan deputy PM, discusses counterterror cooperation

ISLAMABAD: US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz called Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday during which the two officials discussed counterterrorism cooperation and bilateral cooperation in various sectors, Pakistan’s state broadcaster said.
The phone call followed US President Donald Trump’s Tuesday announcement about the arrest of a senior Daesh commander implicated in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 US service members. Trump thanked Pakistan for helping US arrest the Daesh commander. 
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responded by thanking Trump for acknowledging Pakistan’s role and support in counterterrorism in a social media post. He said the Daesh commander was an Afghan national who was arrested in a successful operation conducted in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. 
“Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar received a call from US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, who conveyed President Donald Trump’s appreciation and thanks for Government of Pakistan’s efforts in countering terrorism,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 
Dar congratulated Waltz on assuming office and said Islamabad looks forward to building on its “longstanding and broad-based” relationship with Washington under Trump and his administration, the state-run media said. 
“He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue its cooperation with the United States in the field of counterterrorism,” Radio Pakistan said, adding that Dar also appreciated Trump’s announcement to withdraw US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cooperation in IT, energy and mineral sectors, Radio Pakistan said. 
They also agreed on the need to have continued dialogues on trade, investment, climate change and health as part of a broad-based agenda in the days to come, the state-run media said. 
Pakistan and the US have a history of cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, particularly during the “war on terror” following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Despite periods of strained relations, Pakistan has captured and handed over several Taliban and Al-Qaeda members to US authorities.
However, both nations have faced criticism from human rights organizations, alleging that not all detainees were affiliated with militant groups and highlighting concerns over the treatment of these individuals, including reports of extreme interrogation techniques such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation.
Ties between Pakistan and the US, which mostly remained strained under former prime minister Imran Khan’s premiership from 2018-2022, have improved since Khan’s ouster from office. His predecessor Sharif has called for closer ties with Washington since assuming office in March last year.