'A sportsman always is an optimist', says Imran Khan in meeting with Pompeo

ISLAMABAD:  Responding to a query during his meeting with top US  diplomat, Prime minister Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to World Cup victory in 1992, voiced his optimism, saying he has stepped on the field and he thinks he´s going to win, adding;"A sportsman always is an optimist." 

Khan added that Pakistan looks forward to strengthening its ties with the United States based on trust and respect.

When asked about finding a new way forward with Washington, the cricketer-turned politician replied; "I have  stepped on the field and I'm going to win,"  his remarks came during the  meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

 Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Junjua, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Bajwa and DG ISI Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar were also present at the occasion.

Welcoming the smooth transition of power to a new civilian government, during his talks to media, the visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said; "I am hopeful that the foundation that we laid today will set the conditions for continued success," he added that there was a "long way to go" before Washington would resume military assistance.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's foreign minister  Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters the meetings had been "positive", adding this was largely because the US and Pakistan now agreed that in Afghanistan "there is no military solution, we will have to go towards a political solution".