Sharif shortens US visit over fears of opposition protests

October 15, 2015 22:55

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has shortened his official US visit to three days from the initially planned five, the Foreign Office said today, amid reports that the change in his itinerary was made over fears of protests by Imran Khan's Tehreek-i-Insaf party in Islamabad.

"The prime minister will be paying an official visit to the United States on October 20-23," Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said.

"The visit is taking place at the invitation of the President of the United States," he told reporters.

A media report yesterday had said that Sharif's US visit was initially planned from October 19 to 24.

However, Sharif had to cancel some of his engagements in the US apparently over fears that Khan's party may hold protest against him in Islamabad, as it did during Finance Minister Ishaq Dhar's visit to New York last month.

The report had said that Sharif's October 19 visit to Chicago, where he was scheduled to address potential Pakistani-American investors, has been cancelled.

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