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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Pakistan on Wednesday to meet with new Prime Minister Imran Khan. His mission is to improve relations with Pakistan.

Pompeo's appointment of Zalmay Khalilzad as the new U.S. special adviser on Afghan reconciliation, however, might complicate matters. The U.S. also canceled a $300 million Coalition Support Fund payment to Pakistan last weekend.

Who is Khalilzad?

Khalilzad, an Afghan immigrant to the U.S., was the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban from 2001-2003. He then served as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003-2005.

“He has been very critical of Pakistan in the past, and his appointment will not help move things forward,” said Zahid Hussain, a defense analyst who has written two books on militants in the Afghan-Pakistani region.

Khalilzad has often blamed Pakistan for problems in Afghanistan. He says that Pakistan harbors Taliban insurgents.

Others blame Khalilzad himself for Afghanistan’s problems. They say that after the Taliban fell, Khalilzad put warlords, led by Hamid Karzai, in charge of the country. Critics also say that Afghan troops do not receive the training they need to be effective.

Pompeo’s Visit

Pompeo met with Khan on Wednesday. He said he wanted to meet with the newly elected prime minister early on in his tenure “in an effort to reset the relationship between the two countries.”

Though neither side has announced details of their talks, experts say that ending the U.S. war with the Taliban in Afghanistan is the main topic. Hussain said that Pakistan is frustrated that the U.S. only wants to talk about Afghanistan.

“The United States seems only to see Pakistan through the prism of Afghanistan,” he said. “The main thing is we would like to be allies with the U.S., but with dignity.”

Optimistic Outlook?

Both Pompeo and Khan said they were pleased with how the meeting went.

Khan, a former cricket star, said, “You know, I’m a born optimist. A sportsman always is an optimist. He steps on the field and he thinks he’s going to win.”

Pompeo seems optimistic as well, but knows there’s work ahead.

“We have worked closely with the Pakistanis in my role as CIA director. Our teams have been working together for a long time,” he said. “I hope we can turn the page and begin to make progress, but there are real expectations. We need Pakistan to seriously engage to help us get to the reconciliation we need in Afghanistan.”

Before his election, Khan stopped shipments of supplies going to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan as a sign of protest against U.S. drone attacks targeting terrorists hiding in Pakistan. Khan also said that he wouldn’t help the U.S. war on terror. He would rather see a peaceful end to the U.S.-Taliban conflict.