A seemingly offhand remark by US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has ignited buzz over a possible meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and US President Donald Trump.

Bruce was responding to a reporter who asked for her thoughts on Trump’s past offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue – a proposal he had made while claiming to have prevented war between India and Pakistan. While issuing a response, Bruce confirmed that a Pakistani delegation would be visiting Washington for a bilateral meeting.

“We have Pakistan who is going to be here for a bilat, and I’ll be participating in that, so I’m looking forward to that as well,” Bruce said, smiling. “Well, I like things that make me smile, and not many questions here make me smile.”

Her response followed a reference to Trump’s remarks in Saudi Arabia, where he claimed he had directed his team to bring India and Pakistan together for talks, adding that he prevented conflict between the two.

– Ends