Anti-American rhetoric of Pakistan's Khan has Washington wary

ISLAMABAD – Over the years, Pakistan's Imran Khan has been known for his anti-American rhetoric, once even suggesting he might, as prime minister, order the shooting down of U.S. drones targeting al-Qaida figures along the Pakistan-Afghan border. Now that Khan is poised to become nuclear-armed Pakistan's leader, Washington will be watching closely for signs of whether he will follow a path of confrontation or continue with the conciliatory tone he struck in his election victory speech. His attitude toward the United States and President Donald Trump -- to whom Khan has often been compared as a populist shaking up the established political order -- could determine the future of a crucial but fraught relationship. Officially allies in fighting terrorism, Pakistan and the United States have a complicated relationship, bound by Washington's dependence on Pakistan to supply its troops in Afghanistan but plagued by accusations that Islamabad is playing a double game. Tensions have grown over U.S. complaints that the Afghan Taliban and al-Haqqani network that target American troops in Afghanistan are allowed to shelter on Pakistani soil.