High-ranking US delegation to visit Pakistan this week

• Pakistan-US talks seek to repair strained ties.
• Senior diplomat Derek Chollet will lead US delegation.
• State Dept days delegation will reaffirm strong security cooperation between two countries.

WASHINGTON: US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet will lead a delegation to Pakistan this week as Washington and Islamabad seek to repair ties strained under former prime minister Imran Khan.

The US delegation will visit Bangladesh and Pakistan from February 14-18 to meet with senior government officials, civil society members and business leaders, the State Department said in a statement on Monday.

Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament last April, had antagonised the United States throughout his tenure. He welcomed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and accused Washington of being behind the attempt to oust him in 2022.

Washington and Pakistan's National Security Council, a body of top civil and military leaders, dismissed his accusations. Khan was succeeded as prime minister by Shehbaz Sharif.

The US delegation's visit comes as the $350-billion economy of Pakistan is still reeling from devastating floods last year that left at least 1,700 people dead, and the government estimates rebuilding efforts will cost $16 billion.

The country is in the grip of a full-blown economic crisis. Talks between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have resumed online after 10 days of face-to-face discussions in Islamabad on how to keep the country afloat ended without a deal on Friday.

The local media reported late in January that Pakistan had sought US support to unlock the stalled IMF program that would release $1.1 billion to its strained economy as the country rebuilds.

"The delegation will also reaffirm the strong security cooperation between our nations," the State Department said on Monday.

Economic ties and cooperation to tackle the impact of climate change would be on the agenda in the meeting between US and Pakistani officials, the department added.

Pak-US defence talks

Meanwhile, the two countries are holding the second round of mid-level defence dialogue in Washington DC which will continue till February 16.

According to a Foreign Office statement, the first round of the dialogue was held in Pakistan in January 2021.

The FO said that the country's inter-agency delegation, led by the army's chief of general staff, comprises senior officials from the foreign ministry, Joint Staff Headquarters, and three services headquarters.

During the talks, the US multi-agency team is represented by the office of the undersecretary of defence.

Matters related to bilateral defence and security cooperation will be discussed during the dialogues.