30 August, 2017
The visit would come amid simmering tension with the United States over its accusations that Pakistan provides safe havens to militants, who attack American troops across the border in Afghanistan.
Angered by President Donald Trump's new war strategy for Afghanistan, hundreds of angry protestors on Monday marched towards the U.S. consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi protesting against the recent statements by Trump about Pakistan.
In his speech last week on Afghanistan, President Trump signaled an about-face in US policy toward Pakistan.
The announcement was made by Foreign Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif to the Senate during a closed-door meeting, an official told Dawn newspaper.
Islamabad has already rejected the allegations, saying the U.S is scapegoating Pakistan for its own failures in Afghanistan, something which will not help stabilize the war-torn country.
Trump has announced a new South Asia policy which has condemned Pakistan. Instead, Asif and other Pakistani leaders and officials are huffing to China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other comfort partners to try and make up for the downslide in USA ties with Pakistan.
"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting", he said.
"COAS while assuring fullest cooperation to Afghanistan said that Pakistan can not bring Afghan war into Pakistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists".
"Trump's comments about India were more unsettling for Pakistanis than his threats to Pakistan", said Michael Kugelman, a Pakistan expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.
Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua informed the house that a meeting of Pakistan's envoys had been convened from September 5 to 7 to chalk out a strategy after announcement of the new USA policy on South Asia. "Even if it comes". Under these circumstances, there was absolutely no justification for keeping them in Pakistan any more but the decision-makers seem lacking courage to make a firm decision in the interest of the country.
The minister said that India would not be allowed to use Afghan soil to destabilise Pakistan.
General Li Zuocheng, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the Central Military Commission (CMC), met with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Dushanbe and pledged to further improve bilateral ties, reports Chinese Defence Ministry.
About the recently unveiled policy of the United States president on South Asia, Asif said it envisaged no military role for India in Afghanistan.
