Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was expected to meet US President Donald Trump soon.
Qureshi told reporters in Islamabad that Trump had extended an invitation to Imran. However, the prime minister could not travel to Washington because of the budget session, he said. The foreign minister said that dates for the expected meeting were being worked out by the two sides. According to Qureshi, the US president expressed his desire to meet the premier to discuss “important regional matters”.
Official sources said that the meeting between the two leaders was expected to take place in September when PM Imran will travel to US for the annual session of the UN General Assembly. Efforts for arranging the Imran-Trump meeting have been going on for months. Some officials linked the two leaders’ summit with possible positive outcome of the ongoing efforts seeking peace deal in Afghanistan.
Relations between Pakistan and the United States have remained tense during the Trump’s tenure. The US president publically accused Islamabad of ‘lies and deceit’ and also suspended security and other assistance. But at the same time, he expressed his desire to work with the Imran-led government.
