The top military and intelligence officials of the US and Pakistan are making hectic efforts to mend fences between the two allies in the war against terrorism with recent visit of US Central Command Commander General James Mattis to Islamabad and ISI chief, Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha left for Washington on Wednesday.
Defence sources said that the current interaction between the two sides would help release the stalled amount of $800 million military assistance to Pakistan for the war on terror. The aid has been suspended on the grounds that Pakistan is not extending wholehearted co-operation to US, which has brought bitterness to the bilateral relations.
"US Central Command Commander General James Mattis visited Pakistan as part of his routine visits and consulting senior Pakistani military and security officials", said a brief statement released here by US Embassy on Wednesday. General Mattis met with General Kayani, the Chief of the Pakistani Army, and General Wynne, Pakistan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, to share perspectives on the current relationship between the two militaries and to review the way ahead.
This was General Mattis's fifth visit to Pakistan in his 11 months' tenure as CENTCOM commander, according to US embassy release. On the other hand, ISI Director General Lieutenant General Pasha left for Washington on Wednesday for talks with the US intelligence and military leadership on issues of intelligence sharing and related matters.
"Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence, has proceeded to USA for a day-long visit to co-ordinate intelligence matters", said an ISPR statement. Following killing of Osama bin Laden in the May 2 US unilateral raid in Abbottabad and the previous issue of Raymond Davis, the ties between the two partners in the war on terror have been at the lowest ebb.
On Tuesday, what appeared to be a response to suspension of US military aid amounting $800 million, the 140th Corps Commanders' Conference, chaired by Army Chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani reiterated the resolve to fight the menace of terrorism in national interest through indigenous resources. Sources said that the ISI chief in the one-day US visit would discuss with the CIA top leadership the issues including war on terror and co-ordination in intelligence sharing between the two countries.