Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday emphasised the importance of positive and productive engagement between Pakistan and the US, highlighting the ongoing macroeconomic and regional security challenges, particularly the infiltration of insurgency through the porous Afghan border. Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, said this during an interaction with the US Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs John Bass, at the Foreign Office in Islamabad. The meeting was also attended by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst. Both officials discussed approaches to expanding bilateral cooperation on economic and security issues, including countering terrorism and violent extremism, and the importance of fostering regional stability and prosperity, according to a US Mission handout.