WASHINGTON: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will hold high-level meetings in Washington from Monday to rebuild ties with the United States.

During his visit, the army chief will meet US Defence Secretary General Lloyd Austin, National Intelligence Direc­tor Avril D. Haines, CIA Director William J. Burns, and senior officials.

The army chief is in the United States on a five-day visit in another sign of concerted efforts by both sides to improve fraught relations. Gen Bajwa is accompanied by a high-powered delegation including DG ISI, DG MI, and other military officials.

The army chief is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the US officials including a visit to the Pentagon and Langley, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Gen Bajwa landed at LaGuardia in New York on Friday from London. He was expected to arrive in Washington over the weekend and will hold official meetings on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the army chief will meet members of various think tanks and other scholars interested in Pakistan affairs.

In New York, General Bajwa met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Military Advisor General Birame Diop. The military advisor acknowledged Pakistan’s contribution in UN peacekeeping missions and extraordinary achievements in counter-terrorism.

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation, including natural disaster caused by floods in Pakistan came under discussion.

The army chief appreciated the role of the office of UN Military Advisor in promoting UN core values and their response during the crises.

The UN Military Advisor expressed his grief over the devastation caused by floods in Pakistan due to climate change and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims. He also assured full support to the flood victims.

Gen Bajwa’s last official visit to the US was in 2019 when he accompanied then-prime minister Imran Khan on a three-day trip to Washington. Another visit has been postponed thrice ever since due to various reasons.

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