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The foreign minister of Pakistan Khawajah Asif is expected to visit China, Russia, and Turkey after the United States adopted a tough stance against Islamabad in its latest strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office of Pakistan Nafees Zakaria has said the decision regarding the visit has been taken during the meeting of the national security committee which was organized to discuss the new US strategy.
Zakaria further added that Asif will hold consultative talks with the officials of the three countries, focusing at development of regional consensus for Afghan peace efforts.
He said the trip will also send a strong message to the US that Pakistan cannot be coerced and that the country enjoys broad support in the region.
The US President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled the new US strategy outlining the approaches for Afghanistan and South Asia as he harshly criticized Pakistan for harboring the terrorist groups besides he vowed continued support to Afghanistan and war against terrorism.
President Trump said “For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.”
He said the next pillar of the new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan, emphasizing that we can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, emphasizing that Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.
