US-Pakistan bilateral meeting in the cards; Shehbaz Sharif may meet Donald Trump 

While US President Donald Trump is not visiting Pakistan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may visit Washington for a bilateral meeting. It was US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce’s seemingly offhand remark that revealed the upcoming meeting. 

Responding to a question on the Kashmir issue and Trump’s claims of mediation, Bruce said that the Pakistani delegation is expected in Washington. “We have Pakistan who is going to be here for a bilat, and we will be participating in that, so I’m looking forward to that as well," Bruce said with a smile. "Well, I like things that make me smile, and not many questions here make me smile.” she said. 

Trump yet again claimed he directed his team to bring India and Pakistan together for talks and said he prevented conflict between the two countries. Earlier reports suggested Trump was planning a trip to Pakistan, but these claims were later denied.

Two of Pakistan's leading news channels, Geo News and ARY News, withdrew their earlier reports that said the US President would visit Pakistan in September. Geo News issued an apology, stating it aired the news without verification. Several TV stations had claimed Trump would arrive in Islamabad in September and might visit India afterward.

The White House clarified the situation, with a US official telling media outlets that no trip to Pakistan has been scheduled at this time. Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told Dawn.com that they had no information about the matter.

Although no official visit is planned, US-Pakistan relations have improved recently. Last month, Trump hosted Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, at the White House, marking the first time a US President has done so. It has been nearly two decades since a sitting US President last visited Pakistan, with the last visit by then-President George W Bush in 2006.