Pakistani officials deny reports of Trump's visit
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Pakistani diplomatic sources on Thursday denied media reports that the US President Donald Trump was expected to visit the South Asian nation on Sept. 18.
Sources in the Foreign Ministry said the news circulating about Trump's trip was "fake" as the US president is visiting the UK between Sept. 17 and 19.
"We have no information about any such visit. If there is any such thing, the Foreign Ministry will officially announce that," a senior ministry official told Anadolu on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier, Reuters reported, quoting local news channels, that US President Donald Trump is expected to visit Pakistan in September, two local television news channels reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The two TV news channels said that Trump would also visit India after arriving in Islamabad in September.
Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson said he was not aware of Trump's expected visit. A US embassy spokesperson in Islamabad told Reuters, "We have nothing to announce," and said that the White House might be able to provide confirmation on the president's schedule.
Pakistan's information ministry didn't respond to a Reuters request for a comment.
If confirmed, the visit would be the first by a US president since nearly two decades ago, when President George W. Bush visited Pakistan in 2006.
According to Anadolu, local News channel, citing unnamed ministry officials, reported that Trump was expected to visit Pakistan on Sept. 18. An international news agency and several media outlets reported the news, quoting the broadcaster.
However, the news channel later withdrew the report and apologized for running an "unconfirmed" story. According to an earlier schedule, the US president is scheduled to pay a state visit to the UK between Sept. 17 and 19.
Relations between the Pakistani government and the Trump administration have strengthened in recent months, following the latter's active intervention to broker a ceasefire between longtime rivals India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May.
Last month, Trump also hosted Pakistan's army chief Gen. Asim Munir at the White House, in an unprecedented diplomatic development.
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