US President Donald Trump on Monday offered to mediate on the decades-long Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, a move that would signal a shift in long-standing US policy that the issue must be solved bilaterally.
“If I can help, I would love to be a mediator,” Trump said at the White House, where he was hosting Prime Minister Imran Khan. “If I can do anything to help, let me know.”
President Trump said the US is willing to invest in Pakistan and sees great trade relationship between the two countries. He also said that Washington is working with Islamabad to find a way out of the war in Afghanistan.
Trump held out the possibility of restoring US aid to Pakistan, depending upon what is worked out, and offered assistance to Islamabad in trying to ease strained ties with India.
“I don’t think Pakistan respected the United States” in the past, Trump said, but “they are helping us a lot now,” Trump was quoted by AFP as saying.
“We have great potential for relations with Pakistan, I honestly think ties between our two countries have never been better,” he said. “I have lots of Pakistani friends… they’re really tough and smart people,” he added.
Prime Minister Imran told President Trump there was only one solution for Afghanistan and that a peace deal with the Taliban was closer than it had ever been. He said he hoped in the coming days to be able to urge the Taliban to continue the talks.
Earlier, the prime minister was received by the US president on arriving at the White House on his maiden visit to the United States. PM Imran, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, waved at those who came to welcome him outside the Executive Mansion.A host of issues were discussed by the two leaders as efforts made to improve bilateral relations which nose-dived following Trump’s infamous Jan 1 tweet.
The US leader is also expected to accompany the premier on a tour of the White House, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He added that it will give more time to “mingle and chat”.
The visit will expand bilateral cooperation on trade and investment as well as work toward peace in South Asia at large and Afghanistan in particular, reported Radio Pakistan.
The trip was originally planned in June but was postponed because of the PM’s prior domestic engagements, including the federal budget.
President Trump will host a working luncheon to PM Imran, which will also be attended by Cabinet members and senior Pentagon leaders.
PM Imran will also interact with top American lawmakers and Pakistan Caucus on Capitol Hill.
Foreign Minister Qureshi, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razzaq Dawood, Special Assistant on Overseas Zulfikar Bukhari and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, are accompanying the prime minister.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States wants to make clear to Pakistan that it is open to repairing relations if Pakistan changes how it handles “terrorists and militants.”
In Afghanistan, the official said, the peace process is at a critical point and Washington wants Pakistan “to pressure the Taliban into a permanent ceasefire and participation in inter-Afghan negotiations that would include the Afghan government.”
Trump wants to end US military involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s cooperation will be essential to any deal to end the war and ensure the country does not become a base for militant groups like Da’sih.
Meanwhile, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will be part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s delegation during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
In a tweet, he said Gen Bajwa will also visit Pentagon to interact with Acting Secretary Defense Richard Spencer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Chief of Staff of US Army Gen Mark A Milley.
