Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has arrived in Washington on his second trip to the White house to meet with US President Barack Obama on what is anticipated to be a meeting on ‘security’. The US Press secretary seems hopeful of the outcomes of the visit and terms the meeting an effort to improve “cooperation on issues of mutual concern, including economic growth, clean energy, global health, climate change” quietly slipping in counterterrorism and nuclear security in the mix… others are less hopeful.

It seems that PM Nawaz cannot catch a break from the turn of events that plague the region and the role that Pakistan must play in ensuring peace with its neighbours. It is not surprising hence, that despite the PMs impressive speech at the UNGA and the peace proposal that he proposed to a very hostile India, the US has kept a distance from the situation in the region till the fall of Kunduz. This visit comes less than a week after President Obama had to abandon his plans to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan before he leaves office.

Obama said 5,500 troops would stay on until 2017, amid a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, clearly one that he now requires Pakistan to intervene and help with.

Military assistance is expected to come up in the meeting as a way to strong arm the Pakistani establishment in continuing to support the ill famed war on terror. Currently, the US pays close to $500m (£323m) every year to Pakistan as reimbursements for operations against militancy. In the past 14 years they have paid Pakistan more than $20bn in military support. US National Security Advisor Susan Rice delivered a similar message when she was in Islamabad a few months ago, and surely after the current turn of events it is not expected to change.

The Premier should use the opportunity to demand a third party intervention to dispel the cross border tension with the US strong ally India. If Pakistan is expected to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table and ‘revive’ its turbulent relationship with the US it must do so on its terms. Hopefully the premier will display the similar gusto and bravado that he exuded at the UNGA and come back home with a less than disappointing set of outcomes for the country.