Foreign office spokesperson Dr. Muhammad Faisal has confirmed that Prime Minister Imran Khan will be meeting with the US President Donald Trump on 22 July 2019. PM Khan will be visiting the US this month on invitation from President Trump to discuss the bilateral issue and to improve the ties between the two countries.
PM Khan would be making a maiden visit to the United States in an official capacity after taking over the government in August 2018. Initially, the invitation was for June, but due to the budget sessions in the National Assembly, PM Khan could not commit for the tour. Earlier this year, President Trump had said that “we want to have a great relationship with Pakistan, but they house the enemy, they take care of the enemy. We just can’t do that. So, I look forward to meeting with the folks from the new leadership in Pakistan, we’ll be doing that in the not-too-distant future,”
The announcement of the tour comes just a day after the US declaration regarding Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA). US has declared BLA as a global terrorist organization. By the decision, the organization is likely to have less operative freedom. Dr. M. Faisal commented on the move that it is an acknowledgment of Pakistan’s stance by the US authorities. BLA has been involved in multiple insurgent operations in Pakistan and they have specifically targeted Pak Army many times. BLA has focused on Gawadar and adjacent areas to sabotage the undergoing investment projects of billions of dollars.
Trump’s stance has softened for Pakistan since a while now as the US plans to end the Afghan war and exit Afghanistan. For the dialogues, the US wants Islamabad to help as the Taliban are not in the mood to negotiate with the Afghan government. Pakistan hosted a conference in late June to discuss the end of 18-years long war in Afghanistan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also visited Pakistan last week to for key dialogues.
