US Secy of State meets Pak PM Imran Khan

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at PM House on Wednesday, following his meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, US military chief General Joseph Dunford were also present in the meeting.

In a press conference, following Pompeo's visit, Qureshi stated that Pakistan's perspective was put forth "responsibly" to the US delegation. He further asserted that the meeting was cordial, reported the Dawn.

"We tried to understand their wishes and put forth our own expectations and concerns. I told them that if you want to proceed with Pakistan, the foundation lies in trust, frank and candid conversation. And until and unless we address concerns from both the sides, progress is not possible," Qureshi said.

Qureshi also revealed that he was invited by Pompeo to visit New York to attend the United Nations conference where he said he would try to engage with the US officials again.

"During the meeting at the PM House, we all sat down and exchanged views. In the past, they used to come, meet the PM and then went to the GHQ. Today's meeting sent a clear message that we are all on the same page," said Qureshi while talking about the meeting at PM house.

Terming the meeting as a "positive development", Qureshi said that an atmosphere for resetting the relationship has been created.

Talking about Pakistan's relationship with the US, he said that the two countries have been allies for a long time and have had their shares of tensions, "But our history shows when we have worked together, it has been in the best interest of both countries. We did this when we worked together to decimate Al Qaeda."

He also revealed that the scrapping of 300 million USD off of Pakistan's financial aid by the US was not brought up in the meeting.

"That decision was taken before this government took charge. I gave this matter some thought then I decided against raising it because free nations think along the lines of self-sufficiency. We will take a new direction," Qureshi said.

Pompeo visited Pakistan to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries. Following his Pakistan visit, Mike Pompeo left for India for the '2+2' dialogue.