Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will hold high-level meetings in Washington from Monday to restore relations with the US.
During his visit, the Army Chief will meet US Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin, Director of National Intelligence Avril D. Haines, CIA Director William J. Burns and senior officials.
The Army Chief is in the US on a five-day visit in another sign of concerted efforts by the two sides to mend strained relations. General Bajwa is accompanied by a high-level delegation including DGISI, DGMI and other military officials.
The army chief will hold several meetings with US officials, including a visit to the Pentagon and Langley, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
General Bajwa arrived at LaGuardia in New York from London on Friday. He is expected to arrive in Washington at the end of the week 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 the Military Adviser to the Secretary General of the United Nations, General Berame Diop. The military adviser acknowledged Pakistan’s role in UN peacekeeping missions and extraordinary achievements in counter-terrorism.
In the meeting, issues of mutual interest, the overall regional security situation including natural disaster caused by floods in Pakistan were discussed.
The Army Chief appreciated the role of the Office of the United Nations Military Adviser in promoting the core values ​​of the United Nations and in their response during crises.
The United Nations Military Adviser expressed grief over the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan due to climate change and offered heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. He also assured full support to the flood victims.
General Bajwa’s last official visit to the US was in 2019 when he accompanied then Prime Minister Imran Khan on a three-day visit to Washington. Another tour has been postponed three times so far due to various reasons.
