US proposes FTA with Pak, seeks assistance to end Afghan war

Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed a Free Trade Agreement with Pakistan if Islamabad agrees to assist Washington in ending the Afghan war.

The Republican Senator has also urged United States President Donald Trump to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan in order to change US's relationship with Pakistan from tactical to strategic, reported the Dawn.

"If we can go to Pakistan and put a free trade agreement on the table to get the Pakistanis to push the Taliban to the peace table, and you can end the Afghan war," said Graham a week before heading to Islamabad.

In order to end Afghan war, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad led an interagency delegation to India, China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan from January 8 to 21 and met Afghan government officials and other interested parties to support and facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan, empowering the Afghan people to chart a shared course for their nation's future.

Last month, the US-based Global Security Review accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence of backing terrorist organisation influencing the peace process in Afghanistan.