ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is all set to visit the White House on Monday for his first face-to-face talks with President Donald Trump.
Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will also be part of PM Khan’s delegation during his meeting with Trump at the White House, military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor confirmed.
Bajwa will also visit the Pentagon and interact with Acting Secretary Defense Mr. Richard Spencer, US Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Chief of Staff of the US Army General Mark A Milley, Ghafoor tweeted.
Khan embarked on his maiden trip to the US on Sunday in a bit to mend bilateral ties.
Last year, the US had cut security aid to Pakistan accusing the country of “lies and deceit” while Khan called the US assistance “minuscule” in comparison to the cost borne by Pakistan in fighting the US-led war on terror.
During his official three-day visit, the Pakistani premier held separate talks with IMF acting chief David Lipton and World Bank President David Malpass.
According to the PM’s office, Khan thanked the IMF Board of Directors for approving the recent Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Pakistan during his meeting with Lipton at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington on Sunday.
“Prime Minister pointed out that reforms implemented under the IMF program will be instrumental in stabilizing the economy and reviving growth,” the official statement read. Khan “expressed his government’s commitment to take all necessary measures needed to resolve the macroeconomic and structural challenges for sustainable and long-term growth.”
Earlier this month, Pakistan signed a $6 billion loan program from IMF which has come with stringent economic reform conditions.
In a meeting with President of the World Bank, Khan appreciated the tremendous support extended by the Bank in different sectors of Pakistan’s economy over the years.
“While highlighting government’s reform priorities including improving the ease-of-doing-business, the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with assistance and stewardship being provided by the World Bank,” a statement by the PM Office read.
Khan expressed hope that the Bank would roll forward the pipeline projects and assured the Bank’s President of his government’s support in this regard.
The premier’s visit comes at a time when talks between the US and Afghan Taliban are believed to have entered a final phase where Islamabad played its role in arranging Washington’s direct peace dialogue with Taliban.
Khan also addressed Pakistani Americans at Capital One Arena in Washington on Sunday where he spoke about domestic politics and economic challenges confronting the country.
Pakistan PM to meet President Trump today
Pakistan PM to meet President Trump today
- Premier Khan is on an official visit to US accompanied by the army chief
- Wide-ranging talks to mend bilateral ties, regional security situation on the agenda
Pakistan’s president defends ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, urges Kabul to dismantle militants
- Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday
- Pakistan’s military says it is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president on Monday defended his country’s ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan earlier said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including Al-Qaeda and the Daesh (Islamic State) group.
“(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,” Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that “no state accepts serial attacks on its soil.”
Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions.
Kabul has denied such claims.
In Afghanistan, the deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistan’s military fired mortar shells at a refugee camp in eastern Kunar province, killing three children and injuring three others.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said Afghan forces carried out strikes targeting a Pakistani military facility near Paktia province, causing “substantial losses and heavy casualties.”
Pakistan’s military did not respond to questions. It has said Pakistan is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge of violence in recent months and blames it on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It operates both inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.
The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.
Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s call for talks, saying, “We have never walked away from dialogue.”
The Pakistani leader again accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India by sheltering militant groups.
“Stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said.
Zardari cited a recent report from the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team that described the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan as an extra-regional threat.
