ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan has received messages of congratulations from numerous global leaders since his party won last month’s general elections. But he has been faced with a flurry of new messages following his oath-taking ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday, with one media report suggesting that US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo may visit Pakistan in September to meet its new leader.
Quoting “diplomatic and official sources,” Dawn said Pompeo “could be the first foreign dignitary to meet the newly elected prime minister.” The newspaper added that the senior American official was likely to “revive once-close ties between the two states” and seek Pakistan’s support for a US-led peace process in Afghanistan.
American State Department officials welcomed Khan’s ascension to power, even though the PTI leader has strongly criticized US policies in the region in the past and slammed its drone strikes in Pakistan.
Among those who congratulated Khan recently are British Prime Minister Theresa May, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In one of her Twitter messages, May said: “The UK and Pakistan share deep and important links. There is plenty for our two countries to work together on, not least increasing bilateral trade and mutual security issues.”
The King and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia were among the first global leaders to congratulate Khan on his election victory.
