Aamir Qureshi—AFP
U.S. State Department says it has no knowledge of the White House inviting P.M. Khan for a meeting with President Trump
Less than a week after Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit the United States on July 22 for a meeting with President Donald Trump, the U.S. State Department has said it has no confirmation of any such tour.
Responding to a question on the meetings scheduled for Khan’s trip, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told a daily press briefing on Tuesday that the White House had not yet confirmed the tour. “I know that I have read the same reports that you have, but I would reach out to the White House to confirm or not confirm that visit… we don’t have anything to announce here from the State Department,” she said.
On July 4, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal had told the media that P.M. Khan would visit the U.S. on the invitation of President Trump. Ortagus’ statement suggests some confusion persists on the modalities of the trip. Local media reports have suggested Trump’s White House is facilitating the trip and an announcement confirming it would be issued shortly.