Islamabad: Leading US Senator Lindsey Graham vowed Sunday to urge President Donald Trump to meet Imran Khan to boost Washington´s Afghanistan peace efforts, calling Pakistani prime minister an "agent of change".The Republican -- an influential ally of Trump -- made comments in Islamabad after assembly with Pakistani leader, saying Khan was a "new partner" who could potentially help with a peace deal in Afghanistan.
"I'm going to urge him (Trump) to meet with prime minister as soon as practical," Graham told reporters, saying he believed Khan and Trump would "hit whether off" because they have "similar personalities".
"Prime Minister Khan is agent of change that I´ve been looking for," he added.
Ties between Washington and Islamabad have soured recently, with US officials repeatedly accusing Pakistan of turning a blind eye to or even collaborating with Afghan Taliban, which launch attacks in Afghanistan from alleged havens along border between two countries.Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Pakistan´s alleged duplicity, saying late final year that Islamabad does much do "a damn thing" for US.Khan has been equally critical of Trump, saying before 2018´s election in Pakistan that a potential assembly with US president would be a "bitter pill" to swallow.The US lawmaker´s trip to Pakistan comes as American officials have held several rounds of speechs with Taliban representatives.Graham said a assembly between two leaders was vital to carve out a potential deal in Afghanistan.
"They actually need to meet and come up with a agenda that shall push a resolution to war in Afghanistan," senator added.
Graham -- once a potent critic of Trump -- has converted in recent months into an ardent defender and influential ally of president.
The senator´s arrival also overlapped with an ongoing trip by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been shuttling around region for months to build support for peace initiative.
Khalilzad was in Kabul final week and then flew to Pakistan were he also met with prime minister Friday as news reports in Pakistan proposeed Islamabad was open to hosting next round of speechs with rebels.The Taliban, however, have threatened to suspend fledgling peace efforts, accusing Washington of changing agenda of speechs and "unilatemass meeting" adding new subjects.Graham´s trip also comes after US officials announced in December that Trump means to withdraw as many as half of 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan.The assemblys are latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing Taliban to table for negotiations with Afghan government on ending clash which began with US invasion in 2001.TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content of the source.
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