President of the United States, Donald Trump, welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Oval House, Washington, for a one-on-one meeting on Monday.
The meeting between the two leaders was ‘warm’ where both had a frank exchange of views.
The two leaders held the longest-ever press briefing between a Pakistani and a US leader at the Oval which indicated how well the meeting had gone. However, Trump was all-Trump during the press session while Imran Khan was very selective with his words in what little he spoke.
At the start of the presser, President Trump introduced PM Khan as ‘one of the greatest athletes and a great leader’ to set the tone. He threw weight on Khan’s leadership over and over and was optimistic about securing Pakistan’s help in a dignified exit from Afghanistan.
Not long ago, Trump had worsened ties with Pakistan accusing the country of lies and deceit in response to ‘billions of dollars’ in aid. Khan hit back strongly, spelling out all the efforts Pakistan had been doing in war against terror and what little it received was not aid but reimbursement of the expenses it bore.
And now, in less than a year, Trump was hosting PM Imran in the hopes that under his leadership, the long-awaited peace deal with Afghan Taliban can be completed. He whole-heartedly appreciated the efforts the country had done so far to bring Taliban to the table again.
President Trump also offered to play the role of a mediator between Pakistan and India over the dispute of Kashmir. He reflected that during their last contact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also requested him to play a part in the resolution of Kashmir issue. Indian authorities soon rebuffed the claim but US President’s acknowledgment that Kashmir is a legitimate issue is a big win for Pakistan.
This is the first time that the US has officially recognized the Kashmir issue from Pakistan’s standpoint and agreed to get it resolved. On the other hand, India claims IOK is Indian land so there’s no Kashmir issue to speak of.
Indian media has strongly retaliated to Trump’s claim and some have even gone after Indian PM Modi for his weak standing on the Kashmir issue.
Trump voiced excitement when he talked about the trade between the two countries.
“You know, Pakistan is a big country… and they make great products. I think we’re going to have a fantastic trade relationship. I don’t mean we’ll increase it by 20 percent. I mean, I think we can quadruple it. I think it could go — I mean it sounds crazy — you could go ten times more. You could go 20 times more.”
Khan handled the question over an alleged curb on the press freedom in Pakistan. He said, “To say so was a big joke.” Because the amount of criticism he had received during his first 11 months in the office was unprecedented.
Trump joined him by saying that the US media’s treatment with him was far worse than Imran could have witnessed.
US President said that he was ready to work in collaboration with the new leadership of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism and corruption in the country (Pakistan). He also hinted at the possibility of restoration of $1.3 billion in aid that was halted last year.
While speaking to an American newspaper after the meeting, Imran Khan said that the two leaders could talk about the exchange of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui with Shakeel Afridi.
To a question directed to Imran Khan about his war against corruption, Trump jumped in to respond and said:
“Well, I think he’s going to win. And I think what’s going to happen — of course, he’s got little ways to wait — (laughter) — but I’ll go over — I’m going to campaign for you. I’m going to help him win his campaign.”
Following the meeting, the countries held delegation-level talks where the issues pertaining to the Afghan peace deal, military, terrorism, and trade were discussed.
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