ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif left for China on Saturday on a previously unannounced two-day visit.

Announcing the trip, military’s public affairs division ISPR said that the “official visit” was on the invitation of Chinese authorities.

During his stay in China, Gen Sharif would meet “Chinese political and military leadership”.

The agenda of Gen Sharif’s visit remains unclear.

This is the army chief’s second trip to Beijing. He earlier visited China in June last year, weeks before Zarb-i-Azb military operation was launched, for discussing what was officially described as “defence and security cooperation”.

Besides militants of other shades, Pakistani troops during the Zarb-i-Azb operation targeted North Waziristan-based fighters of East Turkestan Islamic Movement that is accused of fomenting trouble in the Chinese province of Xingjian.

Gen Sharif’s earlier this month visited the United Kingdom.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2015

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