MT Desk: US President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks at the White House in the latest sign of warming relations between Washington and the South Asian nuclear power.Sharif was among top officials from eight Arab and Muslim countries who met with Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week to discuss strategy on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The two leaders discussed bilateral relations.
The prime minister was given a red-carpet welcome as he was arrived in Washington DC along with the Pakistani delegation to meet the US president.Upon arrival at Andrews Air Base, the prime minister was welcomed on the red carpet by a senior US air force official.The prime minister`s motorcade left the airbase in the ring of US security. Field Marshal Syed AsimMunir also accompanied the prime minister.
On the US side, participants in the meeting are likely to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and senior defense officials, along with Trump.
This marks the third meeting between the prime minister and the US president in just three days — a record, as no Pakistani prime minister has previously held so many meetings with a US president in such a short span of time.
Ahead of the meeting, the US president, while speaking to the media, called PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal AsimMunir "great" people.US-Pakistan ties have warmed in recent months under Trump after Washington had for years viewed Pakistan`s rival India as a counter to China`s influence in Asia.Washington`s relations with New Delhi have been tested under the Republican leader over issues such as visa hurdles for Indians, high tariff rates imposed by Trump on goods from India and Trump`s repeated claims that he brokered an India-Pakistan ceasefire in May after the South Asian neighbors engaged in their latest hostilities.
The United States and Pakistan announced a trade deal on July 31 with a 19% tariff rate imposed by Washington. Trump is yet to reach a trade deal with India.
Trump welcomed Army chief Field Marshal AsimMunir 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.
When asked about frictions with India, the official said Trump believed in being frank about frustrations in ties but the relationship was strong.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.