US president seeks Pakistan help in Afghan peace talks

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

U.S. President Donald Trump has sent a letter to Pakistan’s premier seeking his help in the peace process in Afghanistan, local media reported on Monday.

"Today I have received a letter from President Trump in which he asked for assistance in the Afghan peace talks to end the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan," Imran Khan told reporters, according to local broadcaster Geo News.

Trump also wants Pakistan’s help bringing the Afghan Taliban leadership to the negotiation table, he added.

This is first exchange between the two since a Twitter spat last month, when Trump accused Pakistan of taking “from the United States without giving anything in return,” prompting Khan to stress Pakistan’s “lives lost & destabilised & economic costs” due to the war on terror.

Relations between the two have nosedived since Trump took office last year, mainly due to a clash of interests in war-torn Afghanistan.

Washington accuses Islamabad of providing safe haven to the powerful Haqqani network, which is blamed for numerous attacks on foreign forces in Afghanistan in recent years. Pakistan denies the allegations.