ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo along with the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford landed at Rawalpindi’s Noor Khan Airbase on Wednesday to hold negotiations with Pakistan’s new civilian leadership with hopes to steer the two Countries towards more constructive bilateral ties.
The US delegation will meet the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad at 2:00 pm.
Prior to that, the US delegation consisting of Mike Pompeo and Joseph Dunford will visit the US Embassy in Islamabad.
#GenDunford just arrived in Islamabad #Pakistan to join @SecPompeo for meetings with senior government and military leaders.#GenDunfordTravels pic.twitter.com/ycHJwaqdA2
— The Joint Staff (@thejointstaff) September 5, 2018
The US Secretary of State is also expected to meet to Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa during his half day stay in Islamabad before he sets off for neighboring India. However no formal announcement has yet been made in this regard.
Earlier talking to journalists in the plane while coming to Pakistan, Mike Pompeo said that deduction of $3 million funds shouldn’t be a new thing for Pakistan as the United States had informed Pakistan about the deduction last year.
Mike Pompeo said that Pakistan knows the reasons of deduction very well, adding Prime Minister Imran Khan himself wishes for peaceful Afghanistan. He said that Pak-US ties are facing many challenges but expressed hope for improvement in bilateral ties during the term of new government in Pakistan.
The US Secretary of State said that Pakistan and the US will have to make joint efforts to deal with common challenges.
