ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Islamabad on January 12 to participate in the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue and meet the country’s military and political leadership, diplomatic sources told Dawn.com on Thursday.

The strategic dialogue is scheduled to be held on Jan 13 for a complete review of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Secretary Kerry would meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the evening of Jan 12 followed by a dinner in honor of Mr Kerry.

Editorial: Kerry’s visit

Kerry would also meet Army chief General Raheel Sharif after attending strategic dialogue on Jan 13, where Pakistan-US defence ties are expected to come under discussion.

Secretary Kerry will also visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where he will visit Tarbela Dam to witness power generation projects.

He is also expected to visit Peshawar’s Army Public school to pay homage to those killed in December 16 tragedy.

Also read: Kerry visit discussed as US Ambassador calls on PM Nawaz

The strategic dialogue scheduled for Jan 13 would be the second ministerial-level meeting since the dialogue resumed in 2013. Three editions were held in quick succession in 2010 before the dialogue was suspended in the aftermath of the May 2011 operation in Abbottabad, where US Navy commandos found and killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The discussions would focus on how to advance bilateral engagement.

The Pak-US Strategic Dialogue currently covers five areas of bilateral cooperation which are discussed through working groups. The areas are: energy; security, strategic stability and non-proliferation; the defence consultative group; law-enforcement and counter-terrorism; and economy and finance.