Trump-Imran summit proposal being discussed: Pak official

Pakistan and the US are discussing plans to hold a maiden meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Donald Trump but it hinges on the "positive outcome" of the Pakistan-brokered talks to strike a peace deal in Afghanistan, a senior official here said.

In his first comments in 2019, President Trump on Wednesday said that he wants a "great relationship" with Pakistan and is looking forward to meeting the new leadership.

"The proposal for a summit meeting is being discussed but the final decision hinges on the positive outcome of the ongoing efforts to strike a peace deal in Afghanistan," a senior Pakistani official was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.

Khan, who took over as the Prime Minister in August, is likely to travel to the US if "all goes well", the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Trump told his Cabinet colleagues on Wednesday that Pakistan has not been fair to the United States.

"We want to have a great relationship with Pakistan, but they house the enemy. They take care of the enemy. We just can't do that," Trump said.

"So, I look forward to meeting with the new leadership in Pakistan. We will be doing that in the not too distant future. But I ended USD 1.3 billion that we paid. I think it was water, we were just paying to Pakistan. So, I ended that."
Trump blasted Pakistan in his first tweet of 2018, saying its leaders have given the US "nothing but lies & deceit."