Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to visit the US on a maiden trip July 20 during which he plans on having a meeting with US President Donald Trump, according to a media report.
This would be Khan’s first face-to-face talk with US President Donald Trump, the Express Tribune reported.
The trip, originally planned in June, was postponed because of the Prime Minister’s prior domestic engagements, especially due to Federal Budget 2019. But now he would begin his five-day trip from July 20, official sources confirmed to the paper Friday.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Thursday told reporters that a meeting between Prime Minister Khan and Trump was expected soon. He, however, did not share the date of the visit.
Qureshi said the Prime Minister would be visiting Washington on the invitation of President Trump, who wanted to discuss important regional issues.
Relations between Pakistan and the US have remained tense during the Trump’s tenure. Trump has publically said that Pakistan has given us ‘nothing but lies and deceit’ and also suspended security and other assistance for backing terror groups.
This would be the first high-level engagement between the two countries under the Trump administration’s tenure, and comes at a time when talks between the US and Afghan Taliban are thought to have entered decisive phase.
The US has repeatedly asked Pakistan to end its support to the militant organisations operating from within its territory against India and Afghanistan.
Efforts for arranging the Imran-Trump meeting have been going on for months, the report said.
Some officials linked the two leaders’ summit with possible positive outcome of the ongoing efforts seeking peace deal in Afghanistan.
Though the bilateral ties have been hit, the US president has expressed his desire to work with the Imran-led government.
PTI
