Ties with Pakistan, India remain unchanged: US
Her remarks came while she was questioned about Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir's recent visit to the United States.
Speaking at the State Department news briefing, Tammy Bruce stated that Washington's relationship with 'both nations remains unchanged" and that 'the diplomats are committed to both countries."
'There was immediate concern and immediate movement with the Vice President, the President, and the Secretary of State… to stop the attacks and bring the parties together,' she said.
She described the episode as a textbook example of US diplomatic intervention, adding that America's top leaders worked 'to stop that potential catastrophe' and create space for an enduring resolution.
Bruce emphasized that Washington's ties with Islamabad and New Delhi are 'as they have been, which is good,' crediting Secretary of State Marco Rubio's approach of open communication with both governments.
'Our diplomats are committed to both nations,' she said, noting that cooperation continues across multiple areas, including counter-terrorism.
The briefing came a day after Pakistan and the US reaffirmed their joint commitment to fighting terrorism during the latest round of the Pakistan–US Counterterrorism Dialogue in Islamabad.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Trump tariffs target 'Made in USA' cowboy boots
South Africa supplies about 70 per cent of the global production of ostrich-derived products, including cowboy boots. photo: file The manufacture of iconic "made in the USA" cowboy boots is set to suffer from President Donald Trump's 30-percent tariffs on South African exports that came into force in August. Texas's most renowned makers of the southern US fashion staple source the ostrich leather they require exclusively from the small South African town of Oudtshoorn, 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Cape Town. Known as the world's "ostrich capital", Oudtshoorn is nestled in the semi-arid Little Karoo valley just inland from the southern coast and is home to a few hundred thousand people and about as many of the giant flightless birds. "We just don't know how bad the impact will be, but positive it wouldn't be," said ostrich farmer Laubscher Coetzee of the tariffs that kicked in after South Africa appeared unable to negotiate a new trade deal with Trump. More than half of the global supply of ostrich-derived products — from feathers to leather and meat — comes from nearly 200 farmers around Oudtshoorn who are joined in the Cape Karoo International (CKI) group, said its managing director Francois de Wet. South Africa as a whole supplies about 70 percent of the world's production, he said. Luxury handbag manufacturers in France and Italy are among the CKI's main clients. It also ships 20 percent of its ostrich leather to top Texas bootmakers such as Lucchese, Justin and Rios of Mercedes, whose boots are sold at several hundreds of dollars a pair. Ostrich is "an extremely important leather in our industry", Ryan Vaughan, CEO of the Rios of Mercedes manufacturer, told AFP. "It's very resilient, it forms to the foot," he said, wearing a typical cowboy hat. Coming from "a long line of cattle ranchers", his family brand was born in Texas in 1853 and employs 250 people. The tariffs "would make a dramatic impact in our business and in the western industry," he said, "because it's not just us that build a lot of cowboy boots out of ostrich leather". It is also the case of Tony Lama, an El Paso bootmaker supplied by CKI that has given a pair to every recent Republican president. Donald Trump received cowboy boots emblazoned with "MAGA" made out of "American alligator" skin, according to a press release. De Wet from the CKI said he believed the South African supply of ostrich leather to the US manufacturers did not run counter to a push by the Trump administration for production to be brought home. The United States did not have enough ostriches to provide the required leather, he said. "We export the raw material, the ostrich leather. They can't produce it from local ostriches in the US. They don't have them," he told AFP. "They do all the value-adding in the United States," he said. "So therefore, in terms of the pure definition of what the Trump administration would like to see, in this case, we do it already." The soft skins, recognisable by spots left by the large ostrich feathers, are currently sold to American manufacturers for around $20 a square foot. "We exported more than the usual volume of ostrich leather to the US in the past two-three months, so we have a little bit of a buffer," said de Wet. "For the moment we don't expect any layoffs in the short term," he said. But "in the long term, if we have to pick up the full tariff, it will definitely... cause a shrinkage of our business." The consumer could also not be expected to pay an extra 30 percent for the already pricey boots, he said. "So the tariff will have to be split between the exporter... and the importer, and preferably also a part paid by the end consumer." It is the unique climate of the Little Karoo, which gets less than 400 millimetres (nearly 16 inches) of rain a year, that makes it ideal for ostrich rearing, said Coetzee, a fourth-generation Oudtshoorn farmer. "That is the reason the ostrich industry is still here 200 years after (it started)," he said. His great-grandfather built the family home in 1896, when the price of ostrich feathers rivalled that of gold because of their value to the women's fashion industry. The extravagant "ostrich palaces" of the time are a reminder of the industry's previous major crisis, when the market collapsed in the early 1900s as the arrival of the low-roofed motor car ended the fashion for high-feathered hats.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Dar in UK for AI, digital tech talks
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, arrives in the UK for his official visit from 17-19 August to meet Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pakistan, Hamish Falconer, Lord Wajid Khan, and Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. 'Focus of the visit is on strengthening Pakistan-UK ties, boosting cooperation in digital technology, artificial intelligence & entrepreneurship, and enhanced cooperation with the Commonwealth,' Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson said on Saturday. British MPs, Kashmiri leaders, and representatives of Pakistani Diaspora would also call on the DPM/FM. Dar highlights Pakistan's potential in fintech, digital banking At the Pakistan High Commission in London, the DPM/FM would inaugurate pilot project by Punjab Land Record Authority and One Window Operation by IMPASS. 'Barring my long pre-scheduled official engagements with the Deputy Prime Minister of UK, Rt Hon Angela Rayner; Secretary General Commonwealth, Rt Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; Hamish Faulkner, Minister of State, UK Foreign Office; and members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords during my two-days visit to the UK, I will not be holding the planned community interaction with the British Pakistani diaspora,' he said. This decision has been taken in solidarity and respect for those who are grieving, and to ensure that our full attention remains on the national relief and recovery efforts. My sincere regrets to all the organizers of the community event. Dar is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the recent cloudbursts and flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern parts of Pakistan. 'Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away,' he stated this in a statement on Saturday. The government of Pakistan is mobilising all available resources to provide relief and conduct rescue operations. Federal and provincial agencies, the armed forces, and local administrations are working tirelessly to reach affected communities and ensure the safety of our citizens, he added. Prime Minister has chaired an emergency meeting, and the government is in close coordination to address immediate needs and plan for the long-term recovery of the impacted areas. Dar urged all Pakistanis, at home and abroad, to keep the affected families in their prayers and to contribute in whatever way they can to the ongoing relief work. InshaAllah, together, we will overcome this difficult hour. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Karachi's development Sindh govt's responsibility: federal minister
KARACHI: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that the responsibility for Karachi's development lies with the Sindh government, not with the federal government. Speaking at the Federation House, Karachi, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that the 'Uraan Pakistan' programme had five major initiatives including exports enhancement, E-Pakistan digital transformation, equality and social development, environmental protection, food and water security, and energy and infrastructure development. Under 'Uraan Pakistan' programme, the government has set an ambitious export target of US$100 billion in the next 7-8 years, which the Minister believed would be achievable. Minister slams Centre for 'ignoring' development of Karachi While identifying eight exports potential sectors including agri, manufacturing, IT, services, mining, HR exports, creative industry and blue economy to achieve US$100 billion target, he announced to constitute eight working groups in collaboration with FPCCI members for the purpose. He said that federal government has decided to allocate Rs150 billion for K-IV project and construction work of Hyderabad- Sukkur motorway would be commenced in ongoing year. Minister Ahsan Iqbal provided a detailed account of Pakistan's recent economic journey, revealing that in April 2022, the Ministry of Finance had refused to pay quarterly external debt obligations, indicating Pakistan was internally defaulted. However, the country has achieved remarkable economic recovery with inflation dropping from 38 percent to 3 percent and interest rates falling from 22 percent to 11 percent in just two years. International credit rating agencies Moody's, S&P Global, and Fitch have upgraded Pakistan's credit rating, with international institutions calling Pakistan's economic recovery a 'miracle'. The federal minister emphasized Pakistan's untapped potential across various sectors, saying that despite being the world's 5th largest in dairy production, Pakistan lacks value addition and imports processed dairy products from Norway, Sweden, and Australia. He pointed out abundant granite resources in Chitral that remain unexploited and highlighted those coastal areas, particularly Gwadar, need seafood processing plants. The creative industry, worth over $2 trillion globally, presents significant opportunities for Pakistan, he added. Minister Ahsan Iqbal stressed that Pakistan's tax-to-GDP ratio of merely 10.5 percent is among the world's lowest, emphasizing the need for improvement to 15.5 percent to achieve sustainable development. Comparing Pakistan's stagnant export growth to regional competitors, he said that while Thailand, South Korea, and Vietnam have achieved hundreds of billions in exports from similar starting points in the 1960s, Pakistan remains at just $32 billion. President Atif Ikram Sheikh highlighted that Pakistan's credit rating has been upgraded by international agencies, noting that the government has set an export target of $60 billion by 2028 along with a sustainable GDP growth target of 6 percent by the same year. He said the government's annual private investment plan of $10 billion and pledged the business community's support in achieving the export target while calling for reduced interest rates and electricity prices to boost exports. Senior Vice President FPCCI Saqib Fayyaz Magoon highlighted the need to break free from IMF constraints to implement beneficial policies, revise trade agreements with China and African markets, establish free trade agreements for economic growth, and create export councils at the government level. State Minister for Religious and Minority Affairs Khalil Das Kohistani said that Pakistan's transformation from being on the brink of default in 2022 to now being on the path of progress. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
