LAHORE - Three key leaders, the president, the army chief and the foreign minister, will be visiting the United States this month amidst renewed efforts to revive an important partnership in the war against terrorists, a media report quoted diplomatic sources as saying.
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will set this process rolling with a three-day visit to Washington beginning Sept. 18.
She is expected to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior officials of the Obama administration and explore the possibility of reviving the Pakistan-US strategic dialogue, which got derailed after the May 2 US raid in Abbottabad, said the report.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated further when another US air raid killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November last year. In retaliation, Pakistan closed Nato supply routes to Afghanistan.
But relations began to improve in July when Secretary Clinton apologised over the Salala air raid and Pakistan reopened the routes.
Pakistan is now hoping to restart the strategic dialogue process and has urged the Obama administration to reactivate the non-military sector of this process, which includes economic support and energy assistance.
The foreign minister is also expected to push for a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.
Pakistan would like to announce the revival of the strategic dialogue process during or after the meeting. President Zardari is expected to arrive in New York on Sept. 24 to attend the UN General Assembly.
Dates for Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani’s visits have not yet been finalised but he is likely to come after the president, according to the report.
During Gen. Kayani’s visit, defence establishments of the two countries will try to revitalise the ties between the two militaries, the report added.