July 22 (UPI) — Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan makes his first trip to Washington, D.C., Monday and will meet with President Donald Trump, hoping to restore financial ties with the United States.
The U.S. administration cut off most of Pakistan’s military aid last summer, claiming the Middle East nation needs to do more to combat terrorism. Pakistan holds influence with the Taliban, with which U.S. officials are negotiating to end the 18-year conflict.
“We no longer pay Pakistan the billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us, (Osama) Bin Laden being a prime example, Afghanistan being another,” Trump said on Twitter last November. “They were just one of many countries that take from the United States without giving anything in return. That’s ENDING!”
Khan shot back on Twitter, saying: “Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the U.S. should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops &reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today [is] stronger than before.”
“The U.S. realizes that without Pakistan’s role, there will be no end to the war in Afghanistan,” Pakistani analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi said. “On the other hand, Pakistan also needs the U.S. for the revival of its struggling economy.”
Trump will meet with Khan at noon Monday and the two will later hold a working lunch. Afghanistan is expected to be a major point of the talks, with human rights and trade.
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