Welcoming Sharif for his second bilateral meeting with him, Obama said the two sides are “looking forward to using this opportunity to deepen this relationship between the United States and Pakistan”.
“Obviously, the United States and Pakistan have a longstanding relationship. We work and cooperate on a whole host of issues - not just on security matters, but also on economic and scientific and educational affairs,” he told reporters as he welcomed Sharif in his Oval Office.
Sharif, in his brief remarks while sitting next to Obama, said: “I look forward to a very constructive engagement with you today to add greater substance and depth to this relationship.
“The Pakistan-America relations stand over 70 years, and it is my endeavour to further strengthen and solidify this relationship.”
The meeting between the two leaders comes a week after Obama said he will not pull out American troops from Afghanistan before he demits office next year.
“The visit will highlight the enduring nature of the US- Pakistan relationship and provide an opportunity to strengthen our cooperation on issues of mutual interest, including economic growth, trade and investment, clean energy, global health, climate change, nuclear security, counter-terrorism and regional stability,” the White House said in a statement.
It added that the President will discuss with Sharif ways to advance “our shared interest in a stable, secure, and prosperous Pakistan” during the Pakistani premier’s key four-day visit to the US at Obama’s invitation.
Ahead of the meeting, Pakistani officials said that Sharif would raise the Kashmir issue with Obama.
“During the Prime Minister’s visit, we will talk about the tension with India on the Line of Control,” Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said on Monday.
“It is the responsibility of the US and the international community to help resolve the problem of Kashmir, which was the main issue with India,” he added.
India has rejected any third party intervention to the Kashmir issue and has maintained that all outstanding matters in Indo-Pak ties should be resolved bilaterally.
Sharif, on his part, sought “third party intervention” in the Kashmir issue, telling American senators here that the US was the “most relevant” party to get involved in the matter.
Pakistan has already submitted three dossiers on India’s alleged role in “subversive activities” in the country ahead of the high-level interaction.
Sharif in his meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday also briefed him about the “destabilising role of Indian agencies in FATA, Balochistan and Karachi”.
Pak could become fifth largest nuke power by 2025: Report
Pakistan is on course to become the world’s fifth largest nuclear weapons state, a top US think-tank said, estimating that the country’s warheads would more-than-double to 250 in the next ten years.
“Pakistan has a nuclear weapons stockpile of 110 to 130 warheads, an increase from an estimated 90 to 110 warheads in 2011,” said a report on ‘Pakistani nuclear forces 2015’ released by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
The release of the report coincides with the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the US.
“With several delivery systems in development, four operating plutonium production reactors, and uranium facilities, the country’s stockpile will likely increase over the next 10 years, but by how much will depend on many things,” it said.
The report comes just a day after Pakistan acknowledged having developed “low-yield, tactical nuclear weapons” to “deter” a possible attack from India.
Authored by Hans M Kristensen and Robert S Norris, the report, however, said there are two key factors that will determine the number of Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile: 1.How many nuclear-capable launchers Pakistan plans to deploy, and 2.How much India’s nuclear arsenal grows.
Based on Pakistan’s record in the past 20 years and its current and anticipated weapon deployment, the authors estimate that the country’s stockpile could realistically grow to 250 warheads by 2025, making it the world’s fifth-largest nuclear weapon state.