NPR

Hoping For Improved U.S. Ties, Pakistan's Prime Minister Set To Visit White House

Tensions have beset the U.S.-Pakistan relationship for years. The planned July 22 meeting between President Trump and Imran Khan comes as the U.S. tries to finalize Afghanistan peace negotiations.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (right), shown here in April, will arrive in Washington, D.C., for a three-day visit that begins on July 21. His meeting with President Trump comes at a pivotal time for Afghan peace negotiations.

The Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Donald Trump have met before — on Twitter, where they sparred. Next week, they will be meeting in real life, as Khan heads to Washington, D.C., for a three-day visit.

The July 22 invitation to the White House comes as Washington tries to finalize negotiations with the Taliban to end the nearly two-decade war in Afghanistan. Pakistan is seen as being key to those efforts. So the invitation suggests an easing of bitter tensions that have beset the U.S. relationship with Pakistan.

"From isolation, we have moved toward invitation," said Pakistani Foreign at a Tuesday conference in Islamabad on U.S.-Pakistan ties. "We see [the] invitation as acknowledgement of the inherent importance of the relationship for both sides."

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