Khan trip will bring modest boost to Pakistan-US ties

Significance

Islamabad has always denied US allegations that it harbours militants that attack Afghanistan. Khan’s trip to Washington comes as an Afghan peace process gains momentum and US-Iran tensions simmer.

Impacts

• Pakistan’s key partner China will offer little pushback on Islamabad’s outreach to Washington.
• Islamabad’s relations with Delhi are unlikely to improve despite Pakistan stemming militant infiltration into Indian-administered Kashmir.
• Pakistan-Iran relations, already strained, will deteriorate further.
• Pakistan’s army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa will later this year likely get a one-year extension to his term.
• Insurgency in Pakistan’s Balochistan province will intensify.