WASHINGTON, Sept 29: US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca will arrive in Islamabad later this week, the State Department officially announced on Monday.

They will also visit Afghanistan and other Central Asian states, the department said.

Diplomatic sources in Washington said that the talks in Islamabad will focus on the India-Pakistan peace process and deteriorating Pakistan-Afghan ties following the resurgence of the Taliban movement.

The two US officials are arriving days after President Pervez Musharraf’s meetings with President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Collin Powell last week on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York.

The ties between India and Pakistan, that showed some signs of improvement earlier this summer, also have begun to deteriorate once again, causing concerns in Washington.