Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan received no greeting from the top US official upon his arrival to Washington, AsianTribune reported. This is the first high-level visit by a Pakistani PM to the White House during the Trump administration.
Imran Khan did not receive the state protocol traditionally given to heads of Cabinet who arrive on an official trip to the United States. Upon his arrival, Mr Khan was welcomed at the airport by Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
According to schedule, Imran Khan will meet Donald Trump at the White House on July 22. The central topic of the discussion will be an anti-terroristic activity, which is very important for both countries.
President Trump will definitely press Pakistani PM to take “decisive and irreversible” actions against militant groups operating from Pakistani soil and facilitate peace talks with the Taliban, the experts say.
Pakistan hopes for resuming the US security aid
In 2018, the White House suspended security aid for Pakistan via in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) because of the country’s inability to combat terrorist groups. However, Pakistan hopes for resuming the US aid, and PM’s visit should clarify that issue. Earlier, the US expressed the concerns about its support for both the Taliban and groups alleged to have engaged in terrorism in neighbouring India.
For President Trump, signing a permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan is one of the priorities in the region. According to the recent report issued by the Congressional Research Service, “Pakistan is a haven for numerous Islamist extremist and terrorist groups,” and the priority for Khan’s cabinet is to have tolerated and even supported some of these as proxies in Islamabad’s historical conflicts with its neighbors.
