ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States will have a crucial round of their sustained dialogue in Islamabad this week. US President Barack Obama’s special envoy for the region Marc Grossman, Special Assistant and Senior Coordinator for Pakistan and Afghanistan General Douglas Lute and US Assistant Defence Secretary Peter Levoy are to represent their respective departments in the talks.
They delegation will arrive in Islamabad on Saturday. Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman has also arrived here to provide guidance to the Foreign Office in the dialogue.
She had earlier made possible and conducted result-oriented group meetings of the two countries in Washington last month on five vital subjects. They are: energy, finance, defence consultations, law enforcement and counter terrorism and nuclear safety.
The new US ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson is also likely to take up his new assignment here in a couple of days. He had briefing sessions with the visiting US delegation. The US delegation will have separate meetings with the president, prime minister and Army chief during its two day stay in Islamabad. The dialogue will take place in the Foreign Office.
Ashfaq Pervez Kayani while the regional situation will also come under discussion on the occasion.
Eight militants killed in northwest Pakistan
Islamabad: At least eight militants were killed, seven others injured and four militant hideouts destroyed when the Pakistani military launched an air strike over militant hides in the country’s northwest tribal area of Khyber Agency, NZweek.com reported yesterday.
The Pakistani army launched a strike over militant hideouts in the Bara area of Khyber Agency last morning. Gunship helicopters and fighter jets were reportedly used in the operation. But the report failed to mention at what exact time this operation was launched. Nor did it mention which group of militants the army was targeting at.
Khyber is one of the seven tribal areas along the Pak-Afghan border.
Different groups of militants including Pakistan Taliban, al-Qaida members and other banned armed outfits are believed hiding in this area, from which they often launch either cross-border attacks on the Nato troops in Afghanistan or attacks inside Pakistan.
Agencies
