Pakistan, US make fresh start in ties as President Trump, PM Khan pledge cooperation

WASHINGTON, July 24 (APP):Pakistan and the United States have made a fresh start in their bilateral relations as Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Donald Trump vowed to work for Pakistan’s economic development and regional peace.

The White House parleys between the two leaders this week also afforded a momentous diplomatic victory to Prime Minister Khan as President Trump offered to mediate between Pakistan and India on the Kashmir dispute – considered the underlying cause of South Asian tensions.

In fact, the U.S. president’s expression of concern on the situation in Kashmir and clear-cut recognition of the need to address the dispute marked a rare such acceptance of the Pakistani position in Washington in the post-9/11 years.

President Trump’s views represented a contrast to his predecessor Barack Obama’s muffled position on the Kashmir dispute, which, Islamabad complained had tilted towards New Delhi even as Pakistan assisted the U.S. in the war on terror.