Senior US official due in Islamabad next week

The senior-most US official overseeing the South Asia region will be visiting Islamabad next week, the US State Department announced on Saturday.

A statement by the department said: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Alice Wells will travel to Dhaka, Islamabad, and Colombo from August 28 to September 2.

Wells is expected to meet with government officials, business leaders, and civil society representatives to discuss “cooperation in the region”.

On September 1, the official will speak at the Indian Ocean Conference in Colombo, which will bring together high-level officials from around the world to discuss peace, progress, and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region, said the statement. The conference is being attended by senior officials of the Indian external affairs ministry.

Wells’ visit to Islamabad will be the first by a US government official following the announcement by President Donald Trump of his new regional policy which criticised Pakistan’s role in the war against terrorism.

This is said to be the second trip to Islamabad this month by Wells.

During her first visit, she met Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and discussed the situation in Afghanistan, according to the Foreign Office. She also visited New Delhi during that trip, although she is skipping India this time around.