ISLAMABAD:
A high-level Senate delegation led by Vice President Syedaal Khan will pay an official visit to the United States from January 20 to 25, 2026, the Senate Secretariat announced on Tuesday, against the backdrop of a broader thaw in Pakistan-US relations over the past year.
The Secretariat described the visit as a “historic milestone” in Pakistan-US parliamentary relations, marking the “beginning of a new institutional chapter in bilateral engagement.”
The delegation’s visit comes after 2025 saw renewed high-level engagement between Islamabad and Washington, along with strategic recalibrations and shifting regional dynamics in South Asia and the Middle East.
According to the Senate Secretariat, the visit has been organized under the auspices of the Pakistan Policy Institute USA and, for the first time, will include the United States-Pakistan Interparliamentary Group.
The Secretariat called this inclusion a “major achievement of strategic and non-traditional parliamentary diplomacy,” saying it “reflects a shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions through direct engagement between elected legislatures.”
The statement said the initiative comes at a “critical time” of global and regional transformation, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East, and will be undertaken with clearly defined strategic objectives.
Chief among them is the “establishment of a permanent institutional mechanism” for sustained interparliamentary dialogue between the US Congress and the Senate of Pakistan.
“The delegation aims to promote democratic values, exchange best legislative practices, improve parliamentary oversight and strengthen institutional cooperation beyond traditional diplomacy at the executive level,” the Secretariat said.
He added that the program would also prioritize engagement with the Pakistani-American community to present Pakistan’s parliamentary perspective on regional and global issues, while advancing scientific, cultural and policy-oriented cooperation.
Notably, the Secretariat noted that no Pakistani parliamentary delegation has held formal engagements at the Rayburn House Office Building under the auspices of the US Congress in the 77-year history of Pakistan-US relations.
The visit will also include a press conference and media engagements at the National Press Club, as well as community and political receptions in New Jersey.
The Secretariat said the visit is expected to lay the foundation for regular parliamentary exchanges, deeper legislative cooperation and a sustainable institutional partnership between Pakistan and the United States, based on mutual respect, democratic principles and long-term strategic commitment.
The announcement follows a visit by a US congressional delegation to Pakistan in April last year, which visiting lawmakers described as “very successful and productive.”
That delegation included Congressmen Jack Bergman, Tom Suozzi and Jonathan Jackson, who held meetings with senior Pakistani officials, including COAS.
