ISLAMABAD – United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will arrive here on a two-day visit on Thursday (today), for talks on mutual interest, other than the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.
Sherman, after CIA chief, will be one of the top government officials under Joe Biden to visit the South Asian country since the Taliban captured Afghanistan.
The visiting dignitary will call on senior officials in the country’s federal capital Islamabad. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has requested the Civil Aviation Authority to exempt the US delegation from body search, photographing and asked the state lounge be allocated for their stay. They will also be exempted from the PCR testing, per reports.
As part of Wendy’s regional tour, she was in the Indian capital from October 6-7 for meetings with top Indian authorities and would meet Pakistani officials before departing to Washington tomorrow.
The trip comes as New Delhi, an ally of the ousted Afghanistan government that collapsed in the face of Taliban offenses, as well as the US, ramps up a propaganda campaign to scapegoat Pakistan for the collapse of the Western-backed government.
Reports said the visit is taking place at a very critical time both, in the context of the war-ravaged country and developments in the wider region.
Pakistan’s envoy to US Asad Majeed speaking with a leading daily said.“Together, we would explore ways to strengthen and expand our bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest and concern.”
Reports quoting sources also mentioned that the US administration is focusing on four major points in its talks with Pakistan, including recognition of the Taliban government, global sanctions on new Taliban officials, access to Afghanistan, and counter-terrorism cooperation.
It also mentioned that the Biden administration does not want Pakistan to recognize the new Afghan setup before the rest of the world and it wants Pakistan to continue its efforts for softening the Taliban narrative on some of the controversial issues.
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