Presence of US senator's guard during meeting with PM Khan irks Pak Senate panel

The unusual presence of the personal security officer of top US Senator Lindsey Graham during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan here has irked a Pakistani parliamentary panel, which termed it a disgrace to the country.

Republican Senator Graham from South Carolina met Khan here on Sunday amid reports that Islamabad is pressing for a meeting between the Prime Minister and President Donald Trump to reset bilateral ties and help revive negotiations to end the 17-year brutal war with the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Senate Standing Committee on Interior chairman and former interior minister Rehman Malik said the members wanted to know why Senator Graham's personal guard was allowed to remain present during the meeting with Prime Minister Khan and directed the interior secretary to submit details on the matter, Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Malik said the presence of the US guard during the meeting with Khan was a disgrace to the country.

Graham reiterated