US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Pakistan by the end of this month after holding strategic dialogue with his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid in New Delhi. According to Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, no dates have yet been finalised for Secretary Kerry's trip, but he is expected to arrive by the end of this month for talks with the newly-elected leadership of the country.
Before arriving in Islamabad, sources said that the US Secretary of State would hold intensive talks with Indian leadership in New Delhi and also hold strategic dialogue with his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid, besides making further progress in civil nuclear relationship between the two countries.
During his stay in Islamabad, the sources said that John Kerry will hold talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The sources further said that Secretary of State will also hold bilateral talks with Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi.
During the talks, a host of issues are expected to come under discussion including bilateral relations, the Afghan reconciliation process, the ongoing war on terror and regional peace and stability. The sources further said that the government of Pakistan would take up the issue of US drone attacks in the country's tribal belt with Secretary Kerry during his short visit. They said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also holding portfolio of Foreign Minister, will raise the issue of drone attacks, which Pakistan has time and again declared counterproductive and violative of its sovereignty.
It would be the first visit of any high US official to Pakistan after democratic transition in the aftermath of the general elections. Earlier, Kerry scrapped a planned visit to Pakistan in March to avoid accusations of meddling in the country's May 11 general elections.
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