PM Khan?s US visit aimed at ?refreshing bilateral relationship?

[ahlam1399]

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will travel to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump on July 22, the Foreign Office has said, a visit which the ministry says will be aimed at “refreshing bilateral relations”.The visit — Khan’s first to the US since coming to power last year — came at Trump’s invitation, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said at his weekly briefing on Thursday, adding.The spokesman said the agenda of the meeting was being developed through diplomatic channels. “The focus will be to refresh the bilateral relationship,” he said when asked about Pakistan’s expectations from Khan’s maiden official visit to the US.Asked if the designation by the US administration of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist is a goodwill gesture, the spokesman said: “It is an acknowledgment of Pakistan’s stance.”“The US has realised and acknowledged the point raised by us [against BLA], and we will continue our efforts in this direction,” he said.The announcement comes as the US is seeking Pakistan’s help in finding a way out of neighbouring Afghanistan, where American forces are now in their 18th year of war. Trump is eager to end the war in Afghanistan, and Washington has long seen Pakistan as key to that outcome.On reports of Taliban leaders visiting Pakistan soon to meet Prime Minister Khan, the spokesman said: “I cannot comment on the visit, but can say that Pakistan has played a pivotal role in facilitating and taking forward the peace process. We are doing this in good faith and shared responsibility. The ultimate decision regarding political settlement is in the hands of Afghans.”About the upcoming meeting of Taliban and Afghans in Qatar on Sunday, the spokesman said Pakistan continued pressing the need for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and hoped the talks would ultimately “lead to result-oriented intra-Afghan dialogue”.He recalled that during the recent visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to a forward-looking approach and to strengthen ties on areas of mutual interest including trade, economy, culture and education.He said effective utilisation of the existing economic mechanism including regular meetings of the Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Council and opening of Torkham border for 24 hours, was discussed in particular.On the Kartarpur Corridor, Dr Faisal said Pakistan is moving ahead with “a very positive spirit” and has confirmed July 14 for a meeting with India to finalise modalities and operationalisation. He said construction work continued on Pakistan’s side for completion of the corridor before the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak in November.Asked if Pakistan would invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion, he said no such decision had been taken so far.The spokesman also dismissed the reports citing that India’s underworld terrorist Dawood Ibrahim was in exile in Pakistan. “Dawood Ibrahim is not in Pakistan,” he categorically said, when attention was drawn to the claim of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) before a London court in a money-laundering case.On Indian parliament approving a six-month extension of presidential rule in Jammu and Kashmir from July 3, the spokesman said any solution to Jammu and Kashmir should be in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris.“India is shirking and failing at the same time. We urge India to implement the resolutions of United Nations Security Council rather than diverting the world’s attention from a core issue,” he said.The spokesman condemned the continuing incidents of human rights violations in Pulwama, Shopian, Bandipur and Srinagar areas of the occupied valley that made life miserable for the residents in shape of killings, abuses, disappearances, violence and rapes.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/78QE8dDG0jw

أكثر... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/com/cwEr/~3/78QE8dDG0jw/493748-pm-khan-s-us-visit-aimed-at-refreshing-bilateral-relationship)