ISLAMABAD: Ahead of his maiden visit to America, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will travel to China, Russia, Turkey and Iran this week to drum up support for Islamabad after US President Donald Trump warned it of consequences if it continues to support terror groups. Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.
Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan confirmed Asif's visit to these countries during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence here. Asif will leave for Washington after his visit of these four countries, according the defence minister. The foreign minister, who was invited by his US counterpart Rex Tillerson for a visit last month, delayed the trip in order to firm up support for Pakistan, according to diplomatic sources.