Relations between Pakistan and the United States have seen an unexpected improvement, a shift that has caused deep concern in India, the Financial Times reported.

The development follows recent diplomatic engagements between the administration of US President Donald Trump and Pakistan. Field Marshal General Asim Munir made two high-level visits to the US this summer, most recently to Florida, where he attended the retirement ceremony of US Central Command Chief General Michael Kurilla.

Earlier, in June, General Munir held a two-hour private lunch with President Trump, just a month after the deadliest Pakistan–India border clash in decades. The meeting is seen as significant given Trump’s history of openly criticizing Pakistan, a stance that appears to have shifted.

Michael Kugelman, Senior Analyst at the Asia Pacific Foundation, described the change as “an unexpected restart, even a new era,” adding that Pakistan has mastered the art of building ties with this unconventional president.

The Financial Times report credits Pakistan’s success to a comprehensive strategy involving counterterrorism cooperation, outreach to figures in Trump’s business network, agreements on energy, mineral resources, and cryptocurrency, and a focus on positive messaging toward the White House.

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One major breakthrough came in March, when Pakistan arrested a key ISIS-Khorasan suspect, believed to be the mastermind of the 2021 Kabul airport bombing, and handed him over to US authorities. President Trump hailed the move in his State of the Union address as a major Pakistani achievement.

In April, Trump-backed cryptocurrency project World Liberty Financial signed an agreement with Pakistan’s Crypto Council. One of the project’s founders praised Pakistan’s vast mineral resources during a visit to the country.

The report notes that India has reacted sharply to the shift, especially after the US increased import tariffs on India to 50 percent while keeping them at 19 percent for Pakistan. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also rejected Trump’s claim that Washington mediated a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in May, insisting the agreement was reached directly between the two militaries.