FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Khan was speaking after concluding talks with Trump at the White House, which marked a rare upturn in relations between Islamabad and Washington. The Pakistan Prime Minister said that previous governments let down the peace process by not disclosing details about the 40 terror groups inside the nation. He also said that there previously was no “political will” to disarm the groups – but that his own administration would take a very different approach.

The former Pakistan cricket captain said: "We were fighting the US war on terror. Pakistan has nothing to do with 9/11. Al-Qaeda was in Afghanistan. “There were no militant Taliban in Pakistan but we joined the US war. “Unfortunately, when things went wrong, where I blame my government, we did not tell the US exactly the truth on the ground.” This was, according to the Prime Minister, due to the lack of control exerted by previous governments. Pakistan was not concerned about the war on terror, because it was too busy ensuring its own survival amid internal tensions.

Khan and Trump shared positive vibes as they met for the first time

The two discussed Afghanistan and Kashmir

He added: "There were 40 different militant groups operating within Pakistan. So Pakistan went through a period where people like us were worried about could we survive it. “So while the US expected us to do more and help the US win the war, Pakistan at that time was fighting for its own existence.” The US began working with Pakistan in the so-called ‘War on Terror’ in 2002, a year after 9/11 – but the relationship yielded mixed results. While the Pakistani army carried out several successful anti-terror operations, they were also accused of turning a blind eye to militant groups – which Khan has just admitted. The 66-year-old, who was elected in 2018, said his government would do their utmost to cooperate with Washington.

He said: "Until we came into power, the governments did not have the political will, because when you talk about militant groups we still have about 30,000 to 40,000 armed people who have been trained and fought in some part of Afghanistan or Kashmir. "We are the first government that has started disarming militant groups. “This is the first time it's happening. We've taken over their institutes, their seminaries. We have administrators there.” Khan told the US that the process would be complex and drawn out, however. He said: "So far, we have done pretty well. "Do not expect this to be easy, because it is a very complicated situation in Afghanistan. But rest assured, we would be trying our best.

Khan was speaking at a reception in Capitol Hill

Khan also met the Democrats - including Nancy Pelosi