After his successful trip to China in wake of US President Donald Trump's recent tough talk against Pakistan, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif leaves for Iran today (Monday) for consultations on the new American policy for Afghanistan and South Asia.
According to sources at Foreign Office, the minister will meet his Iranian counterpart besides meeting other senior officials and discuss the issues pertaining to the region as the country wants the US to acknowledge its sacrifices rendered in war against terrorism. The decision to undertake the visit was taken at a meeting of National Security Committee last month chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, in which chief of army staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other civil and military officials participated. The meeting deliberated on the new US policy and formulated the response.
The foreign minister was set to visit the US, but had to call it off after Donald Trump's policy statement in which he had levelled grave allegations against Pakistan and threatened Islamabad if it did not take the desired steps to eliminate terrorism. Then the government decided that the foreign minister's visit to Washington would be postponed and instead visits would be undertaken to China, Russia, Iran and Turkey to present its case garnering regional support Later in the month, Asif will accompany Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.