US reaffirms commitment to long-term, mutually beneficial security partnership with Pakistan
RAWALPINDI: A US delegation visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Thursday to hold formal consultations on Pakistan-US Strategic Level Defence Dialogue, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The US delegation was headed by Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Assistant Secretary of Defence David Hevley, whereas the Pakistan’s delegation was led by Chief of General Staff Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza.
Both sides exchanged views on regional security, deepening of bilateral defence and security ties, as well as military cooperation, the ISPR added.
According to the statement, David Hevley reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to a long-term, mutually beneficial security partnership with Pakistan and thanked Lt Gen Mirza for Pakistan’s pivotal role in supporting Afghanistan peace negotiations.
The US envoy discussed opportunities for strengthening cooperation on counterterrorism and the urgency of reducing violence, restarting meaningful negotiations between Islamic Republic negotiators and the Taliban.
A day before crucial intra-Afghan talks set to resume in Doha, the top US diplomat, spearheading peace efforts, visited Pakistan, on January 4, and met Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and DG ISI Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed.
Soon after his meeting with the Pakistani authorities, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad called for a peace deal as well as a ceasefire at the earliest amid the continued violence in Afghanistan.
The meeting between Ambassador Khalilzad and the Pakistani military leadership focused on the “overall regional security situation with particular reference to ongoing Afghan reconciliation,” according to the official handout issued by the ISPR.
