Pak PM Abbasi meets US VP Mike Pence, agree to ‘stay engaged’
Breaking the ice in their ties, Pakistan and the US have agreed to “stay engaged” and carry forward the relationship that has been under strain after President Donald Trump warned Islamabad against providing safe havens to terrorists.
This was decided when Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi met US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly here yesterday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said. “It was a good meeting,” Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua told reporters on the 45-minute meeting between Abbasi and Pence. She termed the progress made at the meeting as an ‘ice-breaker’.
She said it was agreed that the United States would send a delegation to Pakistan in October to continue the talks. It was the highest contact between the two countries since Trump announced his new policy on Afghanistan and South Asia on August 21 in which he had warned Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so. Trump had also asked India to play a greater role in war-torn Afghanistan, much to the dislike of Pakistan. “It was agreed that the two countries would stay engaged with a constructive approach to achieve shared …read more