ISLAMABAD - Three days after Islamabad and Washington concluded on a high note the renewed strategic commitments, the Pakistan's top military commanders met at the General Headquarters on Friday to review the newly envisaged defence cooperation between the two allies as well as the security arrangements at Pakistan's Western border.
The Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani chaired the 155th Corps Commanders Conference.
A brief Press release from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, the conference was part of regular monthly meetings. "The forum took a comprehensive overview of the routine professional matters aimed at enhancing proficiency of the Army. The participants of the conference were also briefed about internal and external security situation of the country," it added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan-US Defence Consultative Group (DCG) comprising top defence officials from both the sides had "affirmed their mutual commitment to a strong defence relationship, which they stressed, should focus on achieving common objectives."
Led by the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Dr James Miller, the 25-member American delegation had arrived in Islamabad on Monday to participate in the 21st round of the two-day DCG meeting.
The two sides had renewed strategic commitments for enhanced military ties "on a prioritised set of Pakistan's defence requirements," according to the joint statement following the conclusion of the event.
Apparently, the Corps Commanders moot comes in endorsement of the commitments made in the DCG meeting that also envisaged agreements between both the sides for continued US support to Pakistan under Coalition Support Fund (CSF) and other security assistance programmes run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Agreements on enhanced military cooperation between Pakistan Army and the ISAF against al Qaeda and other militant outfits were further inked in the DCG meeting
Pakistan is to get fresh instalment of $ 700 million in terms of military assistance under the CSF by March next year. This year, the country has received the CSF assistance of around $1.2 billion
Military sources said, a top-level military delegation would visit Washington earlier next year to chalk out modalities regarding decisions taken in the DCG meeting. Discussions on the said visit were part of the Corps Commanders Conference, a Brigadier told this scribe.
The tour's schedule would be confirmed next month, he said. "It's not clear who'll be in Washington but it's expected that a General would be there for following up strategic dialogue initiatives," he added.
Last month, the COAS General Kayani had met in Kabul with his Afghan counterpart General Sher Muhammad Karimi and ISAF Deputy Chief Lieutenant General Nicholas Carter to finalise Tripartite Border Coordination Mechanism during the 36th Tripartite Commission (TPC) meeting.
According to the sources, the new border coordination mechanism would come in place from January 1, 2013. Reportedly, it provides for enhanced intelligence sharing between Pakistan Army, Afghan National Army and the ISAF against al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network.
Ahead of the TPC meeting, Lt Gen Carter had also met with Pakistan's Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lt Gen Waheed Arshad at the GHQ. A military statement, issued then, had dubbed the event as “ongoing strategic dialogue.”