• Mohsin Naqvi assures US firms’ security at Reko Diq project.
• Pakistan hopeful for peaceful end to Mideast conflict: Naqvi.
• US official praises Pakistan’s efforts for Middle East peace.
  

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said that the government sought the early launch of direct flights between Pakistan and the United States, emphasising that ties between the two nations are based on mutual trust and bilateral cooperation.

The security czar made the remarks during a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur, where they discussed bilateral ties and the latest developments in the Middle East, the interior ministry said in a statement.

US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A Baker, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, and other officials also attended the meeting.

During the huddle, Naqvi said that Pakistan-US relations have become stronger during President Donald Trump’s tenure.

Naqvi and Kapur also discussed enhancing cooperation in security, counterterrorism and counternarcotics sectors, with the interior minister saying that security for US companies working on the Reko Diq project had been ensured.

The security czar said that Pakistan remained hopeful for a lasting and peaceful resolution to the Middle East conflict.

In response, Kapur praised Pakistan’s role in promoting peace and stability in the region.

Naqvi’s remarks on direct flights between Pakistan and the US follow the resumption of Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) direct flights to London after a six-year hiatus earlier this year.

The airline confirmed the development on March 29, saying that the inaugural flight departed from Islamabad.

It added that direct flights will also operate from Lahore to London.

Days prior to that, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif asserted that the nation will “soon witness the expansion of PIA fleet and revival of its network of direct flights” to more destinations in the UK, Europe, and Canada.

“Our government is also working closely with the aviation authority of the US to revive direct flight operations to [the] US. I wish all stakeholders a brighter future after [the] successful transformation of [the] aviation sector in Pakistan, acknowledged by all International Aviation Authorities,” the defence minister wrote in a post on X.