Khan-Trump Meeting.

A lot of positive noises came from Washington surrounding the Trump-Khan meeting on Monday and Imran Khan's maiden visit to the US in general. The body language of both leaders and the tone of the conversation between them and with the press indicates that the two got on well, which is good sign for the bilateral relations of the countries. If the two individuals can hit it off, Pakistan's deteriorating relationship with the US over the last few years can be improved upon by quite a margin.

Prime Minister Imran Khan's government is currently in a unique position judging by the comments at the press gathering; as a new government it has the opportunity to turn over a new leaf in the bilateral relations between the two countries. New faces on both sides will help provide a space for more positive relations, where both the Trump administration and the Imran Khan government can blame previous heads for mistakes made and hence work towards achieving the various goals of both leaders in areas of strategic policy, trade, aid and relations with India vis-a-vis Kashmir.

For President Trump, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the negotiation process with the Afghan Taliban is clearly the biggest priority. Pakistan can take advantage of the many positive signs coming from the talks and use them to improve its relationship with the US in the process, but this is only possible if the negotiations regarding Afghanistan's future continue to make headway.

For Pakistan, a potential...

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