With assurances that the United States would continue its support in the battle against terrorism, US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Pakistan on Monday for the Pakistan-US strategic dialogue and held his first meeting with the country’s premier.
“US would continue to support Pakistan in effectively combating terrorism,” Kerry said during a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House. He extended condolences of the US government and people on the tragic incident in Peshawar last year and said that terrorists are the common enemy of two countries.
On the occasion, Sharif appreciated US President Barack Obama’s message of friendship and cooperation in the aftermath of the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar attack on December 16. “US is a vital component of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” he said.
Further, the prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s focus on greater market access for Pakistani products and US investment in Pakistan to create job opportunities. He also hoped that the next Business Opportunities Conference which will be held in Islamabad in March 2015 will receive a good response from US investors.
Additionally, the premier appreciated the US’ support for the Dasu and Diamer-Bhasha Dam projects.
Earlier, a Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) official had said, “Following the Peshawar school carnage and the country’s resolve to fight against terrorism in its wake, the visit has assumed great importance. Surely, the prime minister will ask Senator Kerry for technical and training assistance for the rapid force that the government has decided to set up under the National Action Plan.”
KERRY ARRIVES:
The US secretary of state had earlier arrived in Islamabad on an “unannounced” trip to urge the government for intensifying crackdown on militant groups following last month’s massacre of 134 children by Taliban in Peshawar.
Upon arrival in Islamabad, Kerry was received by the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. “We heard you are planning to visit Peshawar and the school,” Aziz spoke to Kerry, shortly after he arrived for an unannounced two-day visit.
Kerry is set to visit APS Peshawar, a top Pakistani official confirmed Monday.
“The secretary’s engagement will be very critical to advancing our shared fight against militant extremism,” a senior US State Department official told reporters, saying Kerry would chair the annual strategic dialogue between the two countries.
Kerry, who is on a two-day visit to Pakistan after visiting India, is expected to meet the country’s top political and military leadership to discuss bilateral relations and the regional security situation.
Kerry is due to meet Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif as he aims to offer sympathy and galvanise Pakistan to combat militants.
“We’ll be very clear, as we have on previous occasions, that the Pakistani fight against militarism has to root out all militant groups in Pakistan,” the US official told reporters before Kerry left Washington on Friday.
MORE ACTION AHEAD:
While acknowledging the army’s offensive against militants in areas near Afghanistan over the last six months, Kerry plans to call for more action to fight groups that Pakistani officials and generals have viewed as strategic assets in their rivalry with India and as they jockey for influence in Afghanistan.
“Part of the secretary’s core message will be to ensure that actions are met with a real and sustained effort to constrain the ability of the Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Afghan Taliban, and other militants who pose a threat to regional stability and to direct US interests,” said the official.
As for Haqqanis, the US accuses the country’s intelligence agency of supporting the network and using it as a proxy in Afghanistan to gain leverage against the influence of its arch-rival India in the country. Pakistan denies that.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), blamed for the December 16 attack on the military-run school in Peshawar, are distinct from the Afghan Taliban but both share the goals of toppling their governments.
STRATEGICALLY SPEAKING:
In addition to bilateral meetings with the prime minister and army chief of staff, Kerry will co-chair the Pakistan-US strategic dialogue with Sartaj Aziz.
Kerry will be joined by General Lloyd Austin, who heads the US Central Command which stretches across 18 nations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, from Egypt to Pakistan.
The Pak-US Strategic Dialogue focuses on five areas of cooperation: energy, security, strategic stability and non-proliferation, the defence consultative group, law-enforcement and counter-terrorism, and economy and finance.
One part of the talks will focus on the sharing of intelligence reports and evidence of Indian involvement in subversive activities across Pakistan, highly placed military sources said. The evidence is alleged to credibly identify financial support, training and provision of weapons to militants.
Kerry also wanted to discuss ways to improve Afghan-Pakistani ties as well as reconciliation efforts with Taliban militants in each country.
Recent violence along the border in Kashmir between India and Pakistan would also be high on the agenda.
