Clinton arriving next month to sign new counter-terror agreement

The United States is planning to send its Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Islamabad next month after the review of Pakistan-US relations by the joint session of parliament and during that important visit, Secretary Clinton is likely to sign new and written agreement with Pakistani leadership on ‘fresh terms of engagement’ between the two states on counter-terrorism cooperation.
However, before Secretary Clinton’s visit, two top American military and civilian officials, General James Mattis, US CENTCOM chief and Marc Grossman, Special US envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan will arrive in the first week of April (next month) to give final touches to the fresh understanding between the two countries on various contentious issues like NATO supplies’ resumption, drone strikes, supply of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) and deployment of US defense contractors and CIA operatives in Pakistan etc. Once that job of finalization of the new proposed Pak-US pact on counter-terrorism cooperation is done, Clinton would make it to Islamabad so that Islamabad and Washington could ink the new accord. “However, this plan for new Pakistan-US agreement depends on the outcome of debate in joint session of parliament commencing here today (Monday). The session is likely to end on Tuesday and it will approve around 35 recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) in form of a resolution that will pave the way for normalization of strained relations between Islamabad and Washington,” said a Pakistani diplomat, seeking anonymity. He said both sides were required to finalize the modalities for future working relationship in the wake of parliamentary debate on bilateral ties.
“For example, the PCNS only recommends that the NATO supplies shall be resumed but tax will be levied. The Americans would like to know and settle the amount of new taxes to be imposed by Islamabad on NATO tankers and oil containers,” he said. He said that then there was the drone strikes’ issue that still needed to be sorted out and also the deployment of American defense contractors that what would be there number etc. Another Pakistani official when contacted said there were strong chances that the US secretary of state would visit Islamabad after the important trip of General Mattis and Grossman, who were expected to come to Islamabad on April 5-6. “The US administration has planned to come up with strong and positive political gestures towards its estranged ally, and the meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Gilani in Seoul would be followed by Secretary Clinton’s trip to Islamabad,” he said.