What Can We Expect From PM Khan’s US trip?

In a foreign policy win, on July 22 Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will be visiting the United States and the White House on the invitation of President Donald Trump.

The visit comes after years of tumultuous relations between the two countries. The last visit by a Pakistani head of state to the United States was in October 2015 when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met President Barack Obama.

Being the first leader to be invited by the US president after four years, then, can be chalked down to a foreign policy win by Imran Khan and his government.

The visit will also come a few weeks after the US designated the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as a global terrorist organisation. Pakistan had been calling for such a designation for a long time, with the country itself banning the organisation in 2006.

The visit also comes on the back of the Afghan Peace Talks in which Pakistan’s role has been lauded. A recent statement by the US State Department said: “China, Russia and the United States welcomed Pakistan joining the consultation and believe that Pakistan can play an important role in facilitating peace in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process vindicates the country’s long-held view that peace in Afghanistan requires Pakistan to play a central role.

The visit also comes despite India and especially Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “isolate Pakistan” strategy. Post-Mumbai attacks in 2008, India has been pushing hard to isolate Pakistan internationally.  However, since the PTI government took power not only has Pakistan played host to the Chinese President and leaders from the Gulf States, PM Imran Khan also met Russian President Vladimir Putin at an international moot. The invite from the US president then will be a high-point to end the PTI government’s first year in power.

The official White House statement announcing PM Imran’s visit stated: “President Trump and Prime Minister Khan will discuss a range of issues, including counterterrorism, defense, energy, and trade, with the goal of creating the conditions for a peaceful South Asia and an enduring partnership between our two countries.”

Some of the important talking points during the meeting will be Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and the Afghan Peace Process. Indo-Pak relations will also be a topic of discussion especially after tensions flared between the neighbours in February.

The Afghan peace process is one of the central topics that unites the United States and Pakistan. For Pakistan, the success of peace talks will bring international appreciation and for the US it will end a 17-year-long war – a win-win for both, so expect it to be a major point of discussion.

The Trump administration has made it clear they want to completely pull-out of Afghanistan by 2020. With US elections also due for that year, the Afghan peace process will be important for President Trump for his election campaign, and with Pakistan one of the most important play-makers when it comes to the peace talks, the meeting will surely discuss how both countries plan to move forward.

Counterterrorism is another important discussion point to expect even though both countries’ hold starkly different opinions on it. While the United States has, after all these years, still asked Pakistan to ‘do more’ when it comes to counterterrorism, Pakistan has always maintained its people and army have paid the price of fighting terror groups on its soil.

Both the leaders had a tense exchange on Twitter last year when Trump alleged that Pakistan was making a ‘fool’ out of the US who was giving them millions in aid while Pakistan harboured terrorists. PM Imran’s swift response asked President Trump to look at ‘historical facts’ and that Pakistan is the one suffering from US’s war on terror.

While the Pakistan government has in recent months made strides to combat terrorism, the leaders’ meet after their ‘Twitter diplomacy’ will be interesting to witness.

Most recently, Hafiz Saeed leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa and ‘mastermind’ of the Mumbai terror attacks was arrested while the federal and Punjab government are also combating terror-funding by groups Hafiz Saeed is associated with. His arrest has been lauded by the US and comes just a few days before the leaders are supposed to meet which will add to Pakistan’s assertions that it is trying hard to combat terrorism in the country.

It is important to understand that while these meetings are closely covered, they do not last very long. For Pakistan, most importantly, the visit marks a huge win in diplomacy and looks good in terms of optics. PM Imran is also set to visit the US again in September for the United Nations General Assembly and coming off a successful US state visit will allow Pakistan to hold meetings with other western allies. US’s acceptance of Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism will also create a more conducive environment for the country to attract investors and kick-off economic growth.

The meeting may lead to a ‘reset’ of bilateral ties between the countries and a friendlier approach by President Trump and western countries as a whole towards accepting Pakistan’s sacrifices in the last decades. Most importantly, this will be a counter to the policy of ‘isolation’ PM Modi tries to propagate and showcase that Pakistan’s place in international relations continues to be important.