ISLAMABAD: Shortly after landing in Washington DC, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met with members of the Pakistani-American business community and encouraged prospective investors and entrepreneurs to benefit from economic opportunities in Pakistan.
Khan is on his first official, three-day visit to the US and will meet President Donald Trump in the White House with talks expected to focus on strengthening bilateral ties, trade and the US-Afghanistan settlement.
Scores of Pakistani expats lined up in the sweltering heat to welcome the Prime Minister’s motorcade as it made its way to Pakistan House, the ambassador’s residence in DC where Khan has opted to stay in place of a hotel for austerity purposes.
Earlier, he was received by senior officials of the US State Department, Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was already present there, as well as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Dr. Asad Khan.
After his meeting with the business community in DC, a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said Khan had “invited businessmen and investors to benefit from the economic and business opportunities afforded by Pakistan’s strategic location and the connectivity to the broader region.”
The Prime Minister is expected to make an address at 4 p.m. EST at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena where up to 20,000 people are expected to attend this evening, local media reported.
In a first, the Prime Minister is also accompanied by Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, as well as the head of the country’s intelligence agency and military spokesperson.
While talking to reporters at the Pakistani embassy in Washington, military spokesman, Major General Asif Ghafoor, said that the army chief would accompany PM Khan during his meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday. He will also visit the Pentagon to hold talks with US military leadership, he said.
On Saturday, it was revealed by two senior officials that the Prime Minister’s invitation to visit the US and meet President Trump had been arranged through direct assistance from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
PM Khan asks Pak-American investors to take advantage of Pakistan’s economic opportunities
PM Khan asks Pak-American investors to take advantage of Pakistan’s economic opportunities
- The prime minister was received by senior officials of the US State Department as he landed in the US
- The army chief will accompany the PM for his meeting with President Trump on Monday: DG ISPR
‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match
- Pakistan’s government have not allowed the national cricket team to play its World Cup match against India on Feb. 15
- Pakistan has accused India of influencing ICC decisions, criticized global cricket body for replacing Bangladesh in World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday backed his government’s decision to bar the national men’s cricket team from playing against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament, reaffirming support for Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s government announced on social media platform X last week that it has allowed its national team to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup. However, it said the Green Shirts will not take the field against India on their scheduled match on Feb. 15.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. The decision was taken after Bangladesh said it would not let its team travel to India out of security concerns.
During a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif highlighted that Pakistan has said that politics should be kept away from sports.
“We have taken this stand after careful consideration and in this regard, we should stand fully with Bangladesh,” Sharif said in televised remarks.
“And I believe this is a very reasonable decision.”
Pakistan has blamed India for influencing the ICC’s decisions. The global cricket governing body is currently led by Jay Shah, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Shah is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.
Pakistan’s boycott announcement has triggered media frenzy worldwide, with several Indian cricket experts and analysts criticizing Islamabad for the decision. An India-Pakistan cricket contest is by far the most lucrative and eagerly watched match of any ICC tournament.
The ICC has ensured that the two rivals and Asian cricket giants are always in the same group of any ICC event since 2012 to capitalize on the high-stakes game.
The two teams have played each other at neutral venues over the past several years, as bilateral cricket remains suspended between them since 2013 due to political tensions.
Those tensions have persisted since the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in the worst fighting between them since 1999 in May 2025, after India blamed Pakistan for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed tourists.
Pakistan denied India’s allegations that it was involved in the attack, calling for a credible probe into the incident.
