WASHINGTON – The United States administration offered to sell American-made locomotives to Pakistan and expressed interest in cooperation in the country’s mineral resources sector, the reports said on Saturday.
The discussions took place about two months ago during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s visit to Washington on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) annual meetings.
They added that US special advisers Raymond Emory Cox and Ricky Gill, during meetings with the Pakistani delegation, described the protection of American commercial interests as a key priority of the Trump administration.
Ricky Gill sought Pakistan’s support for the purchase of US-manufactured locomotives, for which a tender has already been issued.
A few years ago, Pakistan had purchased 55 locomotives from the United States. Pakistan Railways is currently facing financial difficulties and is relying on the repair and rehabilitation of its existing fleet. Recently, the cost of a project to overhaul 100 diesel-electric locomotives was increased to Rs16 billion.
The US officials also emphasized cooperation in Pakistan’s critical minerals sector. The US Congress established a $135 billion fund to invest in critical minerals worldwide, while the US Export-Import Bank has approved a $1.25 billion loan for the Reko Diq Mining Company in Balochistan.
A senior US State Department official, Thomas Lersten, proposed cooperation in mineral resource assessment, offtake agreements and fast-tracked extraction. He also described artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic priority for the United States and indicated that US Under Secretary for Energy Jacob Helberg is likely to visit Pakistan in the near future.
During the visit, the finance minister also met US Assistant Secretary Robert Kaproth. US officials expressed interest in cooperation in digital finance, a stablecoin framework and cross-border digital collaboration as well.
