President Donald Trump will push Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, to pressure the Taliban into signing a permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan, an administration official said.
Trump will also demand that Pakistan’s government free Shakil Afridi, a physician imprisoned after helping the US government locate and kill Osama bin Laden, the official said. The Trump administration will judge Pakistan in part on its treatment of Afridi, the official said.
The president is scheduled to meet with Khan at the White House on Monday.
The US opened a new round of talks with the Taliban last month aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan that began after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The talks between the US and Taliban have taken on greater urgency as Afghanistan heads for presidential elections on September 28. It’s not clear whether the militant group will agree to participate in the elections after a possible peace deal. The Taliban had suggested forming an interim government following a deal but the idea was refused by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
The administration official said the talks are at a critical juncture and Trump expects Pakistan to use its full leverage with the Taliban. Much of the group’s leadership is believed to be located in semi-autonomous areas on Pakistan’s side of the border with Afghanistan.
Trump suspended security aid for Pakistan in January 2018, alleging the country’s government doesn’t do enough to combat terrorist groups. The official said that aid would only be restored if Pakistan satisfies US concerns about its support for both the Taliban and groups alleged to have engaged in terrorism in India.
“As you know, we suspended security assistance to Pakistan in January 2018. And as of now, there’s no change to that policy,” the official said in response to a question.
“The purpose of the visit is to press for concrete cooperation from Pakistan to advance the Afghanistan peace process, and to encourage Pakistan to deepen and sustain its recent effort to crack down on terrorist and militants within its territory,” the senior administration official told reporters during a conference call.
