Q & A: Was the Pakistani Prime Minister's visit to the United States, Imran Khan, a success? | Pakistan News

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan returned on Thursday after a three-day visit to the United States in the Pakistani capital. He has been greeted by dozens of jubilant political supporters as a result of what his government calls a successful "reset" of "countries". troubled relationship.

"Today, I had the impression not to return from a trip abroad, but to return after winning the [cricket] World Cup, "said Thursday Khan, former cricketer, to supporters supporters of the airport of Islamabad.

Khan met with US President Donald Trump on Monday. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process in Afghanistan. The US president, who offers mediation services in the Kashmir dispute with India, rejected the proposal.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan's powerful military leader, accompanied the prime minister, accompanied by intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed.

Mr. Khan and his delegation also had talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, US Congressional leaders and leaders of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

On his return, the Prime Minister was defiant, saying that Pakistan was seeking to "re-establish" its relations with the United States in order to be considered as an equal partner.

"I have never bowed to anyone, and I will never let my nation bow to anyone," he said. "We must become an autonomous nation."

Al Jazeera has been meeting with badysts in Washington, Islamabad and New Delhi to evaluate the visit.

Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director, Wilson Center – Washington, DC

Al Jazeera: How did the visit go, both from the point of view of the United States and Pakistan?

Kugelmann: I think both sides have what they want. Washington's goal was to make every effort to express its gratitude to Pakistan for the badistance Islamabad has provided Afghanistan in the past year. And that's what he did, Pakistan being clearly grateful for the way Khan was treated by his American hosts.

I imagine that there was also a motive at stake: Washington hopes that the goodwill created during Khan's visit will prompt Pakistan to do even more on the Afghan front.

For Pakistan, the hope was to gain recognition that he felt he did not often benefit from the help given to the United States. And this recognition was certainly there, as evidenced by all the eloquent praise and kind words of many senior US officials.

Al Jazeera: What are you waiting for next Taliban negotiations?

Kugelmann: I do not think the rhetoric of "doing more" is gone, it just got a little softer. While in the past this message was transmitted forcefully and in a threatening manner, this time it was probably pbaded on slowly, with Trump and other US officials inviting Islamabad to bring his badistance to Afghanistan to a other level.

Further talks with the Taliban will depend on the next Islamabad decision and, more importantly, the Taliban reaction. Washington's requests to Islamabad have become more ambitious. It is one thing for Pakistan to simply bring [Taliban] at the table. It's very different for Pakistan to convince [them] to accept demands – a ceasefire and talks with Kabul – that he has always and categorically rejected so far.

Al Jazeera: What do you read about President Trump's comments on Kashmir?

Kugelmann: I think he was just acting in the moment. It was a spontaneous, improvised remark that was certainly not meant to represent what would be a radically new American policy.

Al Jazeera: What follow-up should we expect from Pakistan?

Kugelmann: Pakistan seems truly invested in the success of the peace process in Afghanistan, mainly because it wants to contribute to the creation of a final phase that serves its interests. And for Islamabad, this means a post-conflict Afghan government in which the Taliban have a major role to play.

Hbadan Akbar, Foreign Policy Analyst – Islamabad

Al Jazeera: How did the visit go, both from the point of view of the United States and Pakistan?

Akbar: For Trump, one of the most significant outcomes of Prime Minister Khan's visit to Washington will be Islamabad's renewed commitment to a peaceful and inclusive end to the long war in Afghanistan.

For Pakistan, the visit was a victory on two fronts. First, Mr. Khan was able to generate significant positive momentum from this visit, while his government was fiercely opposed by him. This will help Khan in Pakistan.

Second, Pakistani leaders have established direct relations with the Trump administration at the highest level, which is considered essential for the establishment of labor relations. He also advocated for the fight against terrorism, the measures taken within the Financial Action Group, and Pakistan's regional priorities at the White House and Capitol Hill.

Al Jazeera: What do you see as the next steps in the talks with the Taliban?

Akbar: In the face of a tight deadline to reach an agreement before the month of September [Afghan] For the presidential election, Washington considers that an intra-Afghan dialogue and a ceasefire are essential to carry out a withdrawal, which will be crucial for Trump's re-election candidacy. next year.

Imran Khan said Pakistan would exert maximum pressure on the Taliban to accept an intra-Afghan process. It is also significant that the Prime Minister has indicated that Pakistan would like the Taliban to participate in an inclusive presidential election. This indicates that the timetable for concrete action in Afghanistan will be fast in the coming months.

Washington's requirements have not changed. While it is significant that the United States publicly acknowledged Pakistan's efforts to advance the reconciliation process and the initial steps taken to crack down on militant groups, the United States would have reiterated its concerns and called for commitments.

Al Jazeera: What do you think of President Trump's offer to mediate on Kashmir?

Akbar: They were unexpected and aroused considerable interest in Pakistan and India. Although Trump is known to conceal facts, it is hard to believe that he would have badociated remarks to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in such detail without a conversation about the role played by the United States in Indo-American engagement. Pakistani.

It is more likely that Modi mentioned US help in managing the India-Pakistan relationship rather than mediation.

Regardless of whether Modi asked for mediation or not, the mention of Kashmir was a great victory for Pakistan. It will also create pressure on the Modi government. If there was a movement of engagement between the two countries, the reaction of the opposition and the Indian media in India would prompt the Modi government to reconsider any proximity action in the immediate future.

Al Jazeera: How important is this offer?

Akbar: It is unlikely that the needle will move to the ground in Kashmir. The conflict over Kashmir can only really progress if New Delhi changes its approach to political repression in Kashmir. In the absence of a political bottom policy from New Delhi to Srinagar, any progress on Kashmir between India and Pakistan will be tied to the situation on the ground in terms of human rights. 39, man and violence inside Kashmir.

Al Jazeera: What is the effect of the positive chemistry observed between the two leaders on the relationship?

Akbar: Trump is known for putting a lot of political capital on the basis of his personal relationship with world leaders. It seems that Khan and Trump have built a comfortable equation, that will help. But the difficulties that escape relations between Pakistan and the United States, such as Afghanistan, terrorism, India and China, have benefited from the considerable contribution of the US administration. These channels remain the same and it is unlikely that the discussion points will change significantly.

Al Jazeera: How important was it to have the Pakistani army and intelligence chiefs in these meetings?

Akbar: The relationship between Pakistan and the United States has an important security angle. The presence of Pakistani military authorities and intelligence services showed unanimously that there was unanimity on Pakistan's commitments.

Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Member of the Observer Research Foundation – New Delhi

Al Jazeera: How will the Indian government take advantage of what appears to be a successful visit by the Pakistani Prime Minister to Washington, while both parties have pledged their commitment to working together and in the absence of the government? severe rhetoric from the United States?

Joshi: With caution. A leg of [India’s] foreign policy – hostility to Pakistan – has become more fragile. The fact that the United States has also criticized Pakistan in recent years has given the impression that New Delhi's policy was strong, it will now have to be adjusted.

Al Jazeera: About Trump's comments on mediation in Kashmir: what has been the reaction of Delhi and what is it – if any – to influence the situation? state of affairs regarding the Kashmir resolution?

Joshi: The Indian government simply denied that such a conversation took place [between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi]. This indicates that India has seen the end of negotiations with the United States on the Kashmir issue and that you can receive critical comments and perhaps even interventions from the Trump administration.

Al Jazeera: Since Trump alluded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi "asking him" to mediate, how does this affect Modi's domestic political status, if at all?

Joshi: the [domestic] the audience will believe Modi and the government, because Trump's reputation on these issues is not very good and, more importantly, his demand has nothing to envy from the point of view of Indian politics up to now who has rejected mediation in any form whatsoever. the difficult decade of the 90s.

Al Jazeera: Armed groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad, Pakistan and the United States appeared to be on the same page during meetings, and the United States did not seem to be taking a particularly hard line to Pakistan. Is this an affirmation of Pakistan's open crackdown on these groups?

Joshi: Yes, I think the United States is giving Pakistan some leeway to crack down on these groups, but if another incident could be attributed to Pakistan – based groups, that would jeopardize Imran Khan 's credibility.

Bilal Kuchay contributed to the report from New Delhi, India.