Gen Bajwa begins meeting with Biden admin officials

WASHINGTON: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Monday began the second leg of his US visit by holding scheduled meetings with senior officials of the Biden administration.

Gen. Bajwa arrived here on Friday and met with the UN officials in New York. Pakistani officials are tight-lipped about the visit; however, sources confirmed that the army chief had started meeting with senior US officials in Washington DC from Monday.

Gen Bajwa, heading a delegation, will be in the town for another couple of days, diplomatic sources said, terming the trip an important one that portrayed “robust relations” between the two countries.

They emphasized that the US-Pakistan relations were diversifying but the defense and security ties had always been stronger. Pakistan and its military were instrumental in assisting the US in efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan last year post-Taliban takeover.

Gen. Bajwa’s visit to the US was long due. It also had to be rescheduled at least thrice in the last one year for one reason or another, the sources said, adding that the army chief will be meeting with defense and security related officials during this trip. The last time General Bajwa visited the US was in 2019.