Chief of the US Central Command General David Petraeus will be arriving in Pakistan on Monday and would discuss with Pakistani leaders matters related to Pakistan and Afghanistan. General Petraeus will hold meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaz Kayani and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff General Tariq Majeed.
It is the first visit of any US high command after announcing the new US policy on Afghanistan last month. Sources said that he would also discuss the new US Afghan policy and its repercussions in the region, particularly in the tribal areas of Pakistan. He would also discuss on the going successful military operation against militants in the tribal areas and Malakand division.
It is leant that Pakistan leadership would take up the concerns regarding apprehensions that the Nato forces were planning to start drone attacks in Balochistan. The visiting US General would also discuss the issue of alleged presence of some Taliban leadership in border areas of Pakistan, and operating terror activities in Afghanistan.
Talking to media in Manama on Sunday, General Patreues said that Pakistan needed to put pressure on the leadership of the Afghan Taliban operating inside its borders for long-term progress to be made in Afghanistan.
"(To make) the really significant progress in Afghanistan that will be necessary over time... it would be very helpful if additional pressure could be put (by Pakistan ) on the leadership of the elements that are causing problems in Afghanistan ," he said on the sidelines of the sixth Manama Dialogue security conference. He said, however, that Pakistan forces had carried out some "quite impressive" operations against Taliban forces, fuelled by the realisation that extremist groups operating in the country pose a threat.
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