Top leadership discusses Pak-US ties, PM’s visit to Afghanistan

The civilian and military leadership of the country on Wednesday discussed in detail the US request for signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to make the ground line of communications (GLOCs) for NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan permanent, Pakistan-US strategic dialogue and the prime minister’s Afghanistan visit. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf co-chaired the meeting that was held at the Presidency on Wednesday, a day before prime minister’s visit to Kabul. A source told Pakistan Today that it was decided that during his meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today (Thursday), the prime minister would take up the issue of successive attacks by Afghan militants from across the border into Pakistani areas. He said a strong protest would also be lodged on the killing of innocent Pakistani civilians and armed forces’ personnel in these attacks. The source said the meeting also chalked out a strategy about the Pakistan-US relationship in the backdrop of normalisation process started after Islamabad reopened the NATO supply route, adding that the visit to be conducted by the ISI DG to the US also came under discussion.