ISLAMABAD – Much-talked about meeting between Prime Minister ImranKhan and US President Donald Trump will take place today at the White Houseamid Islamabad’s optimism for ‘good news’.
PM Khan is in Washington along with Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, ForeignMinister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief FaizHameed and others for talks with the Americans.
Nawaz Sharif was the last Pakistani Prime Minister to visit the US on anofficial trip in October 2015.
Ahead of the meeting, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the talkswere aimed to reset Pak-US ties with a focus on expanding bilateralcooperation in place of the Afghanistan-centred relations of the lastseveral years.
He said the prime minister’s July 22 talks with President Trump wouldhighlight the points of convergence where cooperation could be mutuallybeneficial.
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Senior officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation that Pakistan wasexpecting a good news despite the uneasy nature of the Pak-US ties.
“We are going into the talks with an open mind and with expectations ofgood news,” said one official.
A close aide of PM Khan said Imran Khan was prepared to take steps forwardbut not at the cost of national interest. “We are aiming to safeguard ourinterests and also be helpful to the US. Let’s hope for the best. This is amouth-watering meeting,” he added.
