Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to have a meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York on 23rd September after he will arrive in the city to attend the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.
Diplomatic sources reveal that this would mark the first of the two meetings the Prime Minister is likely to have with the US President on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. It would also mark US President Trump’s second meeting with a South Asian head of state within less than 24 hours.
Engagements with US President
On 22nd September, President Donald Trump is scheduled to address a joint rally with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston Texas, hours before his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. President Trump and Modi are also likely to hold a separate meeting before or after the rally, which would be focused on Pakistan-India relations.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to arrive in New York on Sunday evening, with President Trump will be speaking to an estimated 50,000 American Indians in Houston. The UNGA session will be attended by illustrious world leaders, who will be arriving in New York on Monday, and the high-level discussions are expected to continue until 29th September.
Trump to meet Imran, Modi for talks focusing on Kashmir – Newspaper – https://t.co/kI1fzKFN96 https://t.co/fVMhXzavEZ
— Lord Nazir Ahmed (@nazir_lord) September 18, 2019
Both Prime Minister Imran Khan and Narendra Modi are scheduled to address the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on 27th September. Modi will be the first to address on Friday morning, while Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the session later in the afternoon.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has repetitively reiterated his agenda of using his UN General Assembly address to highlight the Kashmiri struggle for freedom and expose the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the barbaric agendas behind New Delhi’s unilateral decision to forcefully annex the disputed Himalayan territory.
Sources reveal that Indian diplomats across Washington and New York have apprised Indian journalists that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not discuss the unilateral actions taken on 5th August and its consequences in the occupied valley. Instead, he will focus his energies on reiterating New Delhi’s claim that Pakistan is likely to take advantage of the unrest in the occupied valley by sending militants.
If any Pakistani goes to India with the agenda of fighting in Kashmir, it will be disservice to the Kashmiri cause and will result in more violence being inflicted on the people of Kashmir.
President Donald Trump’s recent remarks with regards to Indian-Pakistan relations and the case of Kashmir have given birth to theories about the likelihood of an indirect dialogue between the two nuclear-armed South Asian rivals along the sidelines of the UNGA session, while Washington will play the role of a mediator.
Speaking to the press at a White House briefing earlier this week, President Trump said that “a lot of progress” has been achieved in defusing the tensions between the two South Asian neighbors. Now, it has been verified that Donald Trump will engage in discussions with the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India before and during the UNGA sessions.
US Commends Imran Khan
The US State Department, on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “unambiguous and important” remarks, in which he issued a stern warning to all Pakistani citizens who are eager to cross the Line of Control (LoC) and fight for the freedom of their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in the occupied valley.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Wednesday, had made it clear that Pakistan strongly opposes all militant activities, and has taken all required measures to ensure vigilance in preventing any kind of militant attacks or activities that can be traced back to Pakistani soil. He also highlighted Islamabad’s fears that New Delhi is likely to deploy infiltrators to carry out barbaric attacks within Kashmir, only to blame Pakistan and aggravate tensions.
https://twitter.com/ravapk/status/1175027531940016129
He had waned the citizens against joining the fight in occupied Kashmir, explaining that the Indian authorities are eagerly awaiting “any excuse” to intensify the pressure on the people of occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
Addressing a rally at Torkham, Imran Khan said, “If any Pakistani goes to India with the agenda of fighting in Kashmir, it will be disservice to the Kashmiri cause and will result in more violence being inflicted on the people of Kashmir. He will have acted as an enemy of the oppressed people of Kashmir.”
Read more: Imran Khan in Saudia: Lobbying Support for Kashmir amidst Saudi Security Concerns
Alice G. Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, applauded Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “unambiguous & important statement that militants from Pakistan who would carry out violence in Kashmir are enemies of both Kashmiris & Pakistan.”
Wells added, “We agree. Pakistan’s sustained commitment to counter all terrorist groups is critical to regional stability.”
Applaud PM @ImranKhanPTI’s unambiguous & important statement that militants from Pakistan who would carry out violence in Kashmir are enemies of both Kashmiris & Pakistan.We agree. Pakistan's sustained commitment to counter all terrorist groups is critical to reg. stability. AGW
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) September 19, 2019