A visit to the USA does turn heads and when it is your Prime Minister, it makes a whole lot of noise. Especially when a huge crowd is attracted to listen to the PM. As was the case with PM Khan as he was received by a massive number of Pakistanis whom he addressed. However, the main purpose of the visit was a productive meeting with Trump. Here are the main areas of focus that were discussed in the meeting:
- KASHMIR ISSUE
Trump mentioned how Indian PM Modi also encouraged Trump to be the mediator for the Kashmir talks between Pakistan and India, which was also supported by PM Khan who has seen that so many years of trying to figure out a way to resolve the dispute has gotten the countries no where. The presence of a third party might just enable them to come up with a settlement accepted by both. Surprisingly, this announcement was followed by a slue of Indian media posts and interview where they claimed that PM Modi did not such suggest anything of the sort and would not allow any third party to interfere in matters between the countries.
Must Read: Big Talk went down, PM Khan meets with President Trump in Washington
- THE AFGHANISTAN ISSUE
Trump started this part of the conversation with blatantly claiming that he could finish Afghanistan in 2 weeks but that would cost 10 million innocent lives and he wasn’t ready for this. So was PM Khan, and stated that both Pakistan and US would encourage the Taliban to sit in and have peace talks with the Afghan Government. This is a specially sensitive topic, as Pakistan just recently mended ties with the Afghan Government who was not thrilled on the idea of the Pakistan government interfering in such matters, however, nevertheless, it has been still discussed between the two premiers.
- MENDING BROKEN TIES
When Trump took over at the Oval Office, he suspended security assistance to Pakistan on the basis of him accusing Pakistan of supporting militant groups. When PM Khan became PM last year, he made the record straight as to who was spending more to fight terrorism and wished for good ties between the two countries. This was also part of the focus of the meeting and it did end well with Trump looking forward to visit Khan in Pakistan.
Both premiers were involved in mutually agreed talks during the meeting and both showed mutual respect. This could be a great sign of progress as ties with another country are mended and for a country like Pakistan, having fewer enemies is what is recommended and from the looks of it, that’s what PM Khan intends to do.
