- Trump, Imran historic meeting at White House
- Says Pakistan is helping the U.S in Afghan peace process
- Says U.S political agreement with Taliban would pave the way for withdrawal of U.S troops from Afghanistan and bring an end to USA’s longest war
WASHINGTON, July 22: President Donald Trump said that Pakistan was helping the US advance the Afghanistan peace process, as he hosted Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House on Monday.
“I don’t think Pakistan respected the United States” in the past, Trump said, but “they are helping us a lot now.”
PM Khan was welcomed by US President Donald Trump, as he reached the White House. The premier was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
President Trump also offered his role as a mediator to resolve Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
“If I can help, I would love to be a mediator,” Trump said. “If I can do anything to help, let me know.”
PM Khan arrived in Washington DC on a three-day visit along with a high level delegation, on the invitation of Trump.
Talks between the two leaders will reportedly focus on Afghanistan as the US seeks a peace accord with the Taliban to end more than 18 years of war.
The visit will expand bilateral cooperation on trade and investment as well as work toward peace in South Asia at large and Afghanistan in particular
The US leader is expected to accompany the premier on a tour of the
White House, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He added that it will give more time to “mingle and chat”.
In his first visit to the White House since taking power, the former cricket star can expect to hear demands from Trump, who in the past has accused Pakistan of lying and being duplicitous.
The goal of the visit, said a senior Trump administration official, is “to press for concrete cooperation from Pakistan to advance the Afghanistan peace process.”
The Trump administration also wants to encourage Pakistan to “deepen and sustain its recent effort to crack down on militants and terrorists within its territory,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The United States is pressing for a political agreement with the Taliban before presidential voting in Afghanistan in late September. This would clear the way for most US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan and bring an end to America’s longest war.
Washington and Kabul accuse Pakistan of supporting armed extremist groups such as the Haqqani network, which is an ally of the Taliban, by giving it refuge in Pakistani regions along the border with Afghanistan.
Pakistan denies providing such support and argues that, in fact, it has sustained huge losses in terms of lives and money as it fights extremism.
“We are concerned about the links between these groups and Pakistan’s intelligence services and military,” the administration official said, referring to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Haqqani network.
The Pakistanis want to shore up relations with the United States after years of discord.
“One of the big storylines going into the Trump-Khan meeting is the sharp disconnect in expectations,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at The Wilson Center.
“Pakistan wants to use the meeting as an opportunity to reset and broaden the relationship. The US has a more narrowly defined goal of securing more assistance from Pakistan for the Afghanistan peace process,” said Kugelman.
How the two leaders interact — neither was a politician before taking power — will also be watched closely.
Before taking power, Khan once described the idea of meeting with Trump as a “bitter pill” to swallow.-Agencies
