WASHINGTON – US President, Donald Trump offered playing the role of a mediator to help India and Pakistan resolve the disputed Kashmir region as he welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House on Monday.
The US president said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also asked him to help with dispute regarding Kashmir.
‘I have heard so much about Kashmir, such a beautiful name, its supposed to be such a beautiful part of the world but right now there’s just bombs all over the place,’ the US President said.
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Prime Minister Imran Khan said the US, being the most powerful country in the world, can play the most important role in bringing peace to the subcontinent.
“There are over a billion and quarter people in the subcontinent, they are held hostage to the issue of Kashmir, and I feel that only the most powerful state, headed by President Trump, can bring the two countries together,” the premier shared.
Afghan Peace Process
Donald Trump also sought Pakistan’s help to end the war in Afghanistan as he spoke to reporters at the White House sitting beside Imran Khan ahead of the one-on-one meeting.
“I could win that war in a week. I don’t want to kill 10 million people… Afghanistan could be wiped off the face of the earth. I don’t want to go that route,” the US president said at the Oval office.
‘Pakistan will save millions of lives in Afghanistan,’ Trump said and declared that Imran Khan is a popular leader of Pakistan.
‘We dropped the largest non nuclear bombs ever built in history in Afghanistan,’ Trump admitted and hastened to added that he has tremendous confidence in the prime minister [Imran Khan].
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed that there was no military solution to the Afghan war.
Restoration of Aid
Donald Trump also dropped hint that the aid for Pakistan could be restored subject to certain conditions.
According to White House bureau chief, Steve Herman, the US president said: US aid for Pakistan could be restored depending on what’s worked out.
“I think they could have help us a lot in the past, but it doesn’t matter [now]. We have a new leader, he is going be a great leader of Pakistan. We have a sort of new leader here [in the US] … but now I think Pakistan could have done a lot [in the past] but it chose not to just because they didn’t respect US leadership,”Trump declared.
In a series of tweets, Herman detailed the discussion between both the leaders which also involved discussions regarding India.
On the occasion, the Pakistani premier was quoted as saying that Taliban would talk about peace in coming days.
“I don’t think Pakistan respected the United States” in the past, Trump said, but hastened to add that “they are helping us a lot now”.
Dr Shakeel Afridi
The US president said he would also take up the issue of jailed doctor who helped the US capture Osama bin Laden, referring to Dr Shakeel Afridi as well as other hostages.
Upon this, Prime Minister Imran Khan said: We will be giving you good news about the two hostages.
On the issue of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, both the leaders resorted to saying that we’ll discuss.
Trump’s Visit to Pakistan
When asked whether he would love to visit Pakistan if an invitation is extended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump replied that he had not been extended such an invitation so far but he would visit the country on the invitation.
Free Press and Trump
When asked about the free press, Prime Minister Imran Khan responded that Pakistan has one of the free-est presses in the world[sic].
‘To say that there are curbs on Pakistani press is a joke,’ Imran Khan said.
Trade Relations
The US president also expressed willingness to cement economic ties with Pakistan and to enhance trade with the country.
‘I see great trade with Pakistan and I am not talking about a little bit more, I am talking about, we can go ten and even 20 times of what we are doing right now,’ Trump said.
‘Pakistan is a big country, its actually a very big country and they have a tremendous product, they make great products,’ Trump affirmed and added that they [Pakistanis] are brilliant and hardworking people.
After the interaction with journalists, both the countries held delegation-level talks on cementing Pakistan-US relations besides a host of issues.
During the talks, the Pakistani premier was flanked by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Chief of the Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other officials.
This is the first-ever meeting between Pakistani premier Imran Khan and US President, Donald Trump after both swept to power.
The interaction will expand bilateral cooperation on trade and investment as well as work toward peace in South Asia at large and Afghanistan in particular.
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The US has suspended most of Pakistan’s military aid, worth $300m (£240m), after Trump accused Pakistan of not doing enough to fight extremism.
PM Imran is also seeking to get Pakistan removed from a Financial Action Task Force sanctions list for being deemed uncooperative in combating money laundering.
The US has also put Pakistan on a watch list for failing to protect religious minorities.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will also address a large gathering of Pakistani-Americans who keenly follow his agenda of Naya Pakistan. He will interact with top American lawmakers and Pakistan Caucus on the Capitol Hill.
