Pak PM Imran Khan to embark on a maiden visit to US next month

Prime Minister Imran Khan will embark on his maiden visit to the United States next month during which he will also meet President Donald Trump.

Official sources confirmed Express Tribune that the trip which was officially planned in June was postponed because of the Prime Minister's prior domestic engagements, including the federal budget 2019, and has been further rescheduled to begin on July 20.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday told reporters that a meeting between PM Imran and Trump was expected soon. However, the Foreign Minister did not share the details of the visit.

Qureshi further stressed that Khan would be visiting Washington on the invitation of President Trump, who wanted to discuss important regional issues.

Khan's five-day trip to the US would be the first high-level engagement between the two countries under the Trump administration's tenure and comes at a time when talks between the US and Afghan Taliban are thought to have entered a decisive phase.

Relations between Islamabad and Washington have been strenuous since Trump took charge of the office. Trump, highly critical of Pakistan's role in Afghanistan and overall war on terror, have currently suspended security and other assistance to Pakistan.

Last year he and PM Imran had a war of words on Twitter after the US President repeated his allegations against Pakistan for "playing a double game".