- FO Spokesperson also says, ‘We have no information about this matter’
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: The White House on Thursday said that no visit of United States President Donald Trump was scheduled to Pakistan “at this time” after widespread reports of a trip.
Earlier in the day, some local television news channels reported, citing sources, that Trump was expected to visit Pakistan in September. The news channels said that Trump would also visit India after arriving in Islamabad in September. The channels later withdrew their reports.
The White House dismissed the rumors. “A trip to Pakistan has not been scheduled at this time,” a White House official said.
Earlier, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said, “We have no information about this matter.”
Similarly, a US embassy spokesperson in Islamabad told Reuters, “We have nothing to announce,” and said that the White House might be able to provide confirmation on the president’s schedule.
According to a British news agency, if confirmed, this would mark the first visit by a US president to Pakistan in two decades.
The agency also reported that President Trump is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom from September 17 to 19 at the invitation of King Charles.
George W Bush was the last US president to visit Pakistan in 2006.
US-Pakistan relations saw a major boost when Trump hosted Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last month in an unprecedented meeting.
India is due to host the summit of the so-called Quad countries this year, but dates for the meeting have not been announced yet.
The Quad grouping includes the US, India, Australia and Japan and is focused on countering China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific region.
Britain’s King Charles will host Trump from September 17 to 19 for his unprecedented second state visit to Britain, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.
