WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan concluded on Monday the first phase of a confidence-building dialogue linked to the Pakistani army chief’s maiden visit to the United States.

On the completion of the two-day talks at the headquarters of the US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, Gen Raheel Sharif and his delegation headed to Washington for further talks.

The talks are part of week-long consultations between the two militaries during Gen Sharif’s first visit to the United States as army chief.

In Tampa, the army chief attended meetings at the Centcom headquarters along with his delegation.

Centcom Commander Gen Lloyd J. Austin led the US delegation.

According to the information shared with the media, Gen Sharif outlined the Zarb-e-Azab operation, which aims at eliminating all terrorist hideouts from Pakistan’s tribal areas, particularly from North Waziristan.

He assured the Americans that the operation was targeting all militant groups, including the Haqqani network, as Pakistan believed that terrorism threatened the very existence of the country.

He also emphasised the need for a long-term relationship between the two militaries and for restoring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

Pakistan hopes to establish a better rapport with the new Afghan government, which came to power this summer.

Gen Austin reportedly acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts in the war against terrorists and also expressed the desire for maintaining a close and long-term relationship with the Pakistani military.

During the second phase of the visit, Gen Sharif is scheduled to meet US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman Joint Chiefs Staff Gen Martin Dempsey in Washington.

He will also meet senior officials from the White House National Security Council and key US lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the US State Department confirmed that Gen Sharif held a series of high-level meetings at the Centcom headquarters.

“We have a broad relationship with Pakistan and chief of the army staff is a key figure,” a State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke told a news briefing in Washington.

He said that senior officials of the department would engage with Gen Sharif in Washington.

“Already, he has been having productive and positive meetings, focusing on a range of issues from the situation in Waziristan to the border security,” Mr Rathke said.

The United States considered this relationship “extremely important” in the fight against extremists, he said.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2014