Pakistan postpones top US official's visit after Trump speech on Afghanistan

Pakistan has postponed the visit of a top US official after protests broke out in the country following comments by Donald Trump accusing Islamabad of prolonging Afghanistan's war.

Trump last week warned Pakistan that it could lose its status as a privileged military ally if it continues giving "safe haven" to Afghan militant groups, accusing Islamabad of harbouring "agents of chaos".

Pakistani officials responded by saying the US should not scapegoat Pakistan and accused the American military of failing to eliminate militant sanctuaries inside Afghanistan

The visit of Alice Wells, acting assistant secretary of state for South and Asian affairs, was scheduled for Monday and would have been the first high-profile visit by a US official since Trump unveiled his new strategy on Afghanistan.

"At the request of the Government of Pakistan, Acting Assistant Secretary Wells' trip has been postponed until a mutually convenient time," a US Embassy spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday.

Pakistan's foreign ministry released a statement with similar wording.

Neither side specified the reason for postponing the visit but US officials have been on high alert since Trump's Afghanistan policy speech on 21 August.

Protests broke out in Karachi following Trump's comments, with police firing teargas at hundreds of protesters from a religious student group as they marched towards the US consulate building.

Demonstrators carried placards of Trump and chanted anti-US slogans.

Banned Islamist group Jamaat-ud-Dawa staged nationwide protests on Friday but failed to draw large numbers of people.

As one of 16 "Non-NATO Major Allies", Pakistan benefits from billions of dollars in aid and has access to some advanced US military technology banned from other countries.

This year, the United States has already withheld $350 million in military funding over concerns Pakistan is not doing enough to fight terror, but the alliance itself was not in question. 

Agencies contributed to this report.