Pak PM Shehbaz to travel to Washington to meet Trump on Thursday

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to travel from New York to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, as both sides make a renewed push to reset their bilateral relations. Shehbaz is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. According to diplomatic sources cited by The Express Tribune, he will briefly travel to Washington for the meeting and then return to New York the same day to continue his UNGA engagements.

This upcoming meeting will mark the first time the U.S. President and the Pakistani Prime Minister have met at the White House since July 2019, when former Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Washington and met President Trump. During President Joe Biden’s tenure, Pakistan was noticeably sidelined; he never held phone conversations with Pakistani prime ministers nor extended invitations to the White House.

Since President Trump took office in January, however, there has been a dramatic and unexpected shift in the Pakistan-U.S. relationship. The Trump-Shehbaz meeting comes amid a noticeable thaw in ties between Islamabad and Washington. In June, Trump held a rare one-on-one meeting with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir at the White House, signaling a departure from the Biden administration’s frosty approach in favor of Trump’s more transactional but open style of engagement with Pakistan.

Diplomatic observers view the Shehbaz-Trump meeting as a continuation of this reset. A senior Pakistani official familiar with the process told The Express Tribune, “The optics of the army chief’s meeting in June were significant. This meeting institutionalises that opening.”

Officials in Islamabad believe the discussions will focus on a range of issues including bilateral relations, regional and international matters such as Afghanistan, counterterrorism cooperation, and trade opportunities.

Analysts caution, however, that while President Trump appears eager to engage Islamabad, the reset remains tentative.

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Pakistan PM Sharif to meet US President Trump with select Muslim leaders

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump alongside a select group of Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session, it was announced on Sunday.

The Prime Minister will visit the United States from September 22 to 26, leading a delegation to attend the 80th Session of the UNGA in New York. He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, other ministers, and senior officials.

According to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO), “The Prime Minister will also participate in a meeting of select Islamic leaders with US President Trump to exchange views on issues pertaining to regional and international peace and security.”

During his address to the General Assembly, Prime Minister Sharif will urge the international community to resolve prolonged global issues. He will particularly draw attention to the grave crisis in Gaza and call for decisive action to end the suffering of the Palestinians.

The Prime Minister will also highlight Pakistan’s perspective on the regional security situation, as well as other key issues of international concern, including climate change, terrorism, Islamophobia, and sustainable development.

In addition to his speech, the Prime Minister will attend several high-level events on the sidelines of the UNGA Session. These include important meetings of the UN Security Council, the High-Level Meeting of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and a Special High-Level Event on Climate Action, among others.

Prime Minister Sharif will hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders and senior UN officials to exchange views on issues of mutual interest. He will emphasize Pakistan’s commitment to working with all UN Member States to uphold the UN Charter, prevent conflict, foster peace, and promote global prosperity during Pakistan’s current tenure as a member of the Security Council.

“The Prime Minister’s participation in this largest annual gathering of global leaders will showcase Pakistan’s strong commitment to multilateralism and the United Nations, highlighting Pakistan’s longstanding contribution towards the shared objectives of peace and development,” the FO added.

*Note:* This story is sourced from a third-party syndicated feed and agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, or accuracy. Mid-day management and mid-day.com reserve the sole right to alter, delete, or remove content at their absolute discretion without prior notice.
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