WASHINGTON: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, began his five-day official visit to the United States on Monday for wide ranging talks with top officials from the State and Defence Department that will focus on bilateral defence cooperation and regional issues. Gen Raheel is visiting the United States at the Pentagon’s invitation and met Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and his deputy Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and Army Chief of Staff Mark A Milley General on the first day of the visit. The leaders discussed the regional situation, Pak-India tension, Pak-Afghan relations and other topics. General Raheel will also meet Secretary of State John Kerry and other top officials including Commander Centcom besides various Senate and Congress committees, Director General ISPR Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said. He said that the visit was part of an exchange programme between the military leadership of the two countries. The visit is also very significant as it is taking place at a time when important changes are taking place in our region and the situation is changing, he said and added that the talks will include bilateral military-to-military relations and issues of regional security and stability. To a question on Afghanistan, Gen Bajwa said that before the launch of Zarb-e-Azb Operation in North Waziristan, the Afghan officials had been informed that terrorist elements would try to flee into Afghanistan and for the need to take appropriate steps to deal with them. There has been substantial benefits of the Zarb-e-Azb operation across the border in Afghanistan and discussion wills be held here as to how to maximise these benefits, he said. Gen Bajwa said that there was a realization that there could have been even more benefits of this military operation across the border in Afghanistan and the Afghan government also had a responsibility in this regard. Going forward, the DG ISPR said the talks will discuss for an effective implementation of such steps to get maximum benefits in the future. He said Pakistan had always said that it would support an Afghan led and an Afghan owned reconciliation process with Taliban and referred to the support Pakistan has extended in this regard. Pakistan has supported such efforts with utmost sincerity and it will continue to fully support the reconciliation process, he said and added that this was an issue which was very important in the context of regional peace and stability. The DG ISPR also said that there have been issues on the eastern border with India and until these issues were settled it will remain a major issue in the context of regional peace and security. To a question, he said that there had been substantial discussion on Pakistan s nuclear programme adding that Pakistan’s nuclear programme was a reality and it should be kept in that context. Army chief Raheel Sharif will also pay a three-day visit to Brazil on the second leg of his trip and will also spend a day with the Pakistani soldiers in Ivory Coast’s UN Pakistan mission.
