Islamabad, Pakistan said on Monday that US President Donald Trump has written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking Islamabad’s assistance in the Afghan peace process.
In the letter, Trump asked Pakistan to play its role in Afghan peace talks aimed at catalyzing an end to the 17-year invasion of Afghanistan by US troops, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
According to the ministry, Trump recognized that the war came at a significant cost for his country as well as for Pakistan, and underlined that both countries should explore ways to work together.
“The US decision is welcomed. Pakistan reiterates its commitment to play a facilitation role in good faith,” said the statement.
The Pakistani Prime Minister confirmed he received a letter from Trump earlier in the day. He said that Islamabad had been apologetic in its relations with the US but his government has dealt with the country on equal terms.
He assured that Pakistan would play any role possible for peace in Afghanistan.
The US leader’s plea to Khan came two weeks after the former had accused Islamabad of sheltering Osama Bin Laden. Trump had said that despite paying the country $1.3 billion, Islamabad had done nothing for Washington.
Khan had rejected Trump’s accusations and claimed the US was using his country as a scapegoat for its failures in Afghanistan.
In January, the US had announced the suspension of a large part of its security aid to Pakistan until it took decisive measures against terror groups on its soil, such as the Taliban.
The US and Afghanistan for years have accused Pakistan of providing shelter to the Taliban’s Haqqani network, a claim Islamabad denies.
