US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R Sherman said she believed President Joe Biden will soon talk to Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to a news report on Friday.
According to a report in the News, during Sherman's meeting with a group of editors, she said: “We have an idea that every country wants to have a telephone conversation with US President. I am sure that this conversation will be held with Imran Khan soon.”
Responding to a question, Sherman said, “I am sure that this contact will take place soon, so I don’t think it should mean anything else.”
About the bill presented by 22 Republicans asking action be taken against any foreign governments that supported Taliban's ascent to power in Afghanistan, Sherman said: “We get hundreds of bills; thousands of people are behind them but we are well aware of Pakistan’s concerns and are closely looking at the situation."
Sherman was in Pakistan on a two-day visit and is the top official to visit Pakistan under Biden's administration. She was flying in from India where she met many high level officials and attended talks. During a talk with Jamshyd Godrej in Mumbai, when asked about her then upcoming trip to Islamabad and what the US envisioned in its relationship with Pakistan she said: “My visit to Pakistan is for a very specific narrow purpose and the United States does not see itself building a broad relationship with Pakistan and we have no interest in returning to days of hyphenated (India and Pakistan). That is not where we are. That is not where we’re going to be."
Those comments have caused much concern among many analysts who see this as reflective of a tense relationship but some see this as pure politics for the optics.
The lack of communication between President Biden and Prime Minister Khan has also received a lot of focus with Khan often speaking on not receiving a phone call yet. It has also become a subject of popular memes on social media like the one below.
Last month, the White House said it could not predict when President Biden would call Khan.
News that a phone call would soon took place featured in some of the late night shows.
