Natalie Baker
Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy Islamabad on Independence Day Reception – June 4, 2026 and on 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America
The U.S.-Pakistan partnership is stronger than ever and grounded in true friendship and alignment of interests. Over the past two years, under the bold and results-oriented leadership of President Trump and Prime Minister Sharif, the United States and Pakistan have embraced one another as true strategic partners – not merely transactional, but a partnership grounded in mutual respect, aligned interests, and a shared vision for security and prosperity.
President Trump’s approach to Pakistan has been direct, personal, and consequential. From his earliest days back in office, he made clear that America’s engagement with Pakistan would be defined not by bureaucratic inertia or outdated assumptions, but by results – by deals made, crises managed, and opportunities seized.
President Trump credited Prime Minister Sharif’s and Field Marshal Munir’s leadership with securing the May 2025 ceasefire, calling it a major contribution to preventing war between nuclear-armed neighbors. The statesmanship of Pakistan’s leaders – your willingness to de-escalate and stabilize a dangerous confrontation – is not forgotten in Washington. It is admired. And it opened a new chapter.
The relationship deepened even further in September, when the President welcomed Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Munir to the Oval Office – a testament to the genuine personal bonds that exist at the highest levels of our two governments and of the extraordinary trust and regard that President Trump has for Pakistan’s leadership.
I have been honored to witness and to support this transformation. Pakistan has been an extraordinary host – to me, to my team, and to the most consequential diplomatic moments of this era.
Secretary Rubio and President Trump have both made clear how highly they regard this partnership. President Trump’s personal engagement – from welcoming the Prime Minister and Field Marshal to the White House to picking up the phone at critical moments of regional crisis – reflects a conviction that runs deep within this Administration: that a strong Pakistan is good for America, and a strong America is good for Pakistan.
Behind our achievements is a team of dedicated professionals on both sides of our partnership. Our U.S. Mission in Pakistan, which includes our Embassy here in Islamabad and our Consulates in Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, represents one of the largest American diplomatic missions in the world.
Over the past year, my team has worked tirelessly – processing visas, advancing trade and investment, deepening security cooperation, supporting American citizens, and executing high-stakes visits and negotiations under extraordinary conditions. They have done all of this with professionalism and dedication that humbles me every single day – and I am proud beyond measure to lead them.
And then there is Islamabad’s finest hour of modern history.
In April, Islamabad became the venue for the highest-level talks between the United States and Iran since the 1979 revolution – a 21-hour marathon of diplomacy that required Pakistan to marshal more than 10,000 security personnel, to seal off roads, and to hold the space for world peace to be negotiated in this city.
Pakistan – by having good ties with both Tehran and Washington, and by playing no part in the conflict – was uniquely positioned to bring two adversaries together. Even many Pakistanis said it felt surreal. It was Pakistan’s moment, and Pakistan rose to it.
The U.S. Mission played its own quiet but essential role – coordinating logistics, managing communications, and supporting a delegation of hundreds through one of the most sensitive negotiations in recent memory. We were there for every moment. The professionalism and quiet determination of our Pakistani partners during those days was nothing short of extraordinary.
I also want to speak about something more personal – about what it has meant to travel this remarkable country, to go beyond Islamabad, and to see Pakistan through its people and places.
This past February, I had the joy of attending Basant in Lahore – the revival of that legendary kite festival after nearly two decades. Standing on a rooftop in the heart of the old city as thousands of kites climbed into a pale winter sky, the air alive with color, music, and laughter – it was one of the most purely joyful moments of my diplomatic career. Basant is Lahore’s soul made visible. Its return is a gift to Pakistan and to the world.
I have traveled to the heartland of Interior Sindh – to communities far from the headlines, where the hospitality is as vast as the landscape, the culture and religious diversity are as rich as the history of the people of this nation, and where the partnership between our two countries takes its most meaningful form: in agriculture, in manufacturing, in the quiet work of people building better lives for their families. Those visits grounded me. They reminded me why this work matters.
I want to say a word, too, about sports – because sports are diplomacy by another name.
The United States is in the midst of what we proudly call the Decade of Sport. We are hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 – the largest in history, with 48 nations competing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We will follow that in 2028 with the Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, and at least ten other major sporting events through 2034. President Trump has made clear that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the beauty and greatness of America to the world – and we intend to make the most of every moment.
Here in Pakistan, I had the honor of launching the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown together with the Pakistan Football Federation – the first such event hosted anywhere in the world. Pakistan is at the heart of it: this country manufactures world-class footballs that will be used on pitches from New York to Los Angeles, from Toronto to Mexico City.
When fans around the world watch the beautiful game this summer, they will be watching, in a very real sense, a product of Pakistani craftsmanship and skill.
How the US Mission Facilitates Investment in Pakistan – Natalie Baker, Chargé d’Affaires
And of course – Pakistan’s love for sports goes far beyond football. I have come to deeply appreciate the country’s passion for cricket. I attended the Pakistan Super League finals last year and witnessed the Lahore Qalandars win. I’ve cut the ribbon on a new High Performance Center in Islamabad and celebrated as U.S. investors work to build a winning PSL team. I have seen the way sports lift communities, unite generations, and tell the story of a people. In Pakistan, like in my home state of Texas, sports are not only recreation – they are identity. Sports represent another thread in the fabric of friendship between our two nations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s steady leadership, personal commitment to our partnership, and vision for Pakistan’s future have made everything we have built possible. The friendship between PM Shehbaz and President Trump reflects something real – a shared belief that strong nations, led by strong leaders, can accomplish things the world once thought impossible.
President Trump sees in PM Shehbaz a leader of exceptional capability and resolve. PM and Field Marshal Munir are two of our most trusted partners in the region and globally.
To the people of Pakistan: you have welcomed me with a generosity of spirit that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. From the staff of this Embassy and our consulates, who work every single day with dedication and grace, to the Pakistani officials and civil servants who have partnered with us at every level, to the entrepreneurs, students, business leaders, and ordinary citizens who believe in what our partnership can deliver – thank you from the bottom of my heart.
When we say that our partnership is built on mutual respect and shared values, we mean it. We do not come to Pakistan as a superpower bestowing favor. We come as a nation that needs true partners to navigate an increasingly complex world. And in Pakistan, we have found exactly that.
The world’s leading democracies are recognizing what we have seen and know firsthand: that Pakistan – with its remarkable people, its strategic geography, its untapped potential, its incredible leaders, and its expanding network of global relationships – is a nation of consequence. A nation on the rise. A nation whose best days are ahead.
Our relationship is grounded in trust, built on results, and animated by a genuine alignment of interests: our goals are the strength, security, and prosperity of both our nations and our people.
Two hundred and fifty years of America. As we enter America’s Golden Age, I genuinely believe the most important chapter of the U.S.-Pakistan partnership has only just begun – the best is yet to come. Our potential is limitless and we will leave a lasting legacy for many generations.
This is what the CdA of USA Embassy spoke in her address to the guests at the celebration in the presence of PM and Foriegn Minister of Pakistan. Here question rises, if Pakistani Prime Minister and Field Marshal are the most trusted partners , why US does not have any full fledged Ambassador to be posted in Islamabad ? Or why US does not promote the CdA to Ambassador ? If the Position of Pakistan is rising in the eyes of Americans , they are supposed to upgrade the status of the Embassy as well to have an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary than a CdA only.
