Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif likely to meet Trump next week: Report

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to hold a meeting with President Donald Trump next week during his visit to the US to attend the UN General Assembly session, a media report said on Tuesday.

The meeting, expected on September 25 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, will also be attended by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Geo News reported, citing sources.

The huddle — taking place with the consultation, support and endorsement of Qatar and Saudi Arabia — will have a wide-ranging agenda from floods in Pakistan to the repercussions of the Israeli attack on Qatar, it said, citing sources.

The Pakistan-India situation is also likely to be discussed during the high-level meeting, the sources added.

Citing diplomatic sources, it said that Riyadh and Doha are supportive of this Shehbaz-Trump meeting. However, Pakistan’s embassy in Washington has refrained from commenting or denying the possible meeting.

The prospective development comes against the backdrop of improving diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Washington, especially following the armed conflict between Pakistan and India in May.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he brokered a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during which they reaffirmed their resolve to bolster Pakistan-US ties and strengthen bilateral relations across multifaceted areas of cooperation.

Dar had met Rubio in July, and the two sides had discussed a broad range of issues, including bilateral ties, prospects for enhanced cooperation in trade, economy, investment, counter-terrorism, and regional peace.

Soon after the meeting, the two countries announced reaching a trade agreement, which aimed at boosting bilateral trade, improving market access, attracting investment and strengthening cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Under the agreement, there will be a reduction in tariffs, particularly on Pakistani exports to the US, and a fresh start in economic cooperation between the two countries, which also includes developing oil reserves.

Earlier this month, Pakistan secured around $500 million investment from the US in its critical minerals sector under a newly signed agreement with United States Strategic Metals (USSM).

The improving economic, trade and diplomatic ties between Islamabad and Washington are also to be taken in the context of Army chief Munir’s multiple high-level visits to the US — including a rare one-on-one meeting with President Trump in June.

The army chief also visited the US in August for the retirement ceremony of outgoing Commander US Central Command, General Michael E Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony marking the assumption of command by Admiral Brad Cooper.

During the visit, Munir met Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine.