US President Donald Trump and Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif are set to engage in a high-stakes bilateral meeting on Thursday, which will likely include army chief Asim Munir as well.
Earlier, there was no confirmation about a separate bilateral meeting between Sharif and Trump, even though the Pakistan PM indicated that he may meet the US President for a closed-door session. The two earlier met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with their interaction lasting just 36 seconds.
The informal exchange happened after a meeting between the US President and leaders of eight Islamic-Arab countries, which also included Pakistan.
However, Thursday's meeting between Trump and Sharif will be closely watched by India amid Islamabad's repeated attempts to drag Washington into the regional conflict with New Delhi.
Speaking about the meeting, a senior State Department official said that US and Pakistan are working through a number of issues such as counter-terrorism as well as trade ties.
"And so the president remains focused on advancing US interests in the region, that includes through engaging with Pakistan and their government leaders," the official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
When asked specifically about trade friction with India, the official said that Trump believes in being frank about frustrations in ties but the relationship was strong.
"Washington viewed New Delhi as a good friend and partner and believed their relationship would define the 21st century," the official added.
The State Department said that US is also working on planning for a summit of the Quad grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the United States that India had been expected to hold in November, opens new tab. That would happen, "if not this year, early next year," the official added.
Ties between US and Pakistan have witnessed a marked improvement amid high-level engagements between the two countries. Trump hosted Pakistan army chief Munir for lunch just weeks after the military escalation following Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan has backed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, although Islamabad has condemned US ally Israel's bombardments in Gaza, Qatar and Iran.
South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman noted that the resurgence in US-Pakistan ties has become a tension point in US-India relations especially amid friction in ties between Washington and Delhi.
"If it is true that Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif goes to Washington to meet with President Trump, that would be the latest indication of just how far this relationship has come ... Honestly, after the meeting between President Trump and Field Marshal Munir, anything that comes after that would not be as significant, given how powerful Munir is," Kugelman told ANI.
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