US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the White House on Thursday, a Trump administration official told Reuters on Wednesday, with the meeting coming weeks after the two countries agreed to a trade deal.
The United States and Pakistan announced a trade deal on July 31 with a 19% tariff rate imposed by Washington.
Trump welcomed Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir earlier this year, the first time a US president hosted the head of Pakistan’s army at the White House, unaccompanied by senior Pakistani civilian officials.
“We’re working through a number of issues when it comes to counter-terrorism, when it comes to economic and trade ties,” a senior State Department official told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday when asked about Pakistan.
“And so the president remains focused on advancing US interests in the region, that includes through engaging with Pakistan and their government leaders,” the official said.
The meeting is likely to be held in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
Field Marshal Asim Munir and other senior ministers and officials are likely to accompany the prime minister.
Pakistan has backed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, although Islamabad has condemned US ally Israel’s bombardments in Gaza, Qatar and Iran.
Sharif was part of a meeting Trump had on Tuesday with leaders of many Muslim-majority countries, where the US president discussed Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Washington says the US shared peace proposals with leaders from those countries in the meeting held on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly.
[SRC] https://english.aaj.tv/news/330436370/trump-to-meet-pm-shehbaz-sharif-today-us-official-says
