WASHINGTON: The United States has invited Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), to attend a conference of military chiefs from various friendly countries, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

The conference, scheduled later this month, provides a much-needed opportunity for consultations between the two militaries at a difficult time.

Relations between the United States and Pakistan — only recently close allies in the war against terrorism — are on the brink of a break-up and talks between their civilian leaderships have failed to ease the tensions.

Bilateral relations, which have been tense since 2011, reached a new low after Aug 21, when US President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for South Asia. In that speech, President Trump accused Pakistan of nurturing terrorists and encouraging cross-border attacks into Afghanistan. He also threatened punitive actions if Pakistan fails to change its Afghan policy.

Pakistanis rejected US allegations and said that the new US strategy gives India the licence to use Afghan territory for stirring troubles in Pakistan.

In late September, however, the United States and Pakistan started a process of reconciliation with a meeting between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and US Vice President Mike Pence in New York. The second round of talks was held in Washington last week, when Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif came to US capital to meet key US officials.

Asked after the meetings what message he was taking back to Islamabad, Mr Asif said: “Meeting with Secretary of State (Rex Tillerson) went very well. Meeting with (National Security Adviser H. R.) McMaster, I will be a bit cautious about, but it was good. It wasn’t bad … I think we need to pursue it more rigorously.”

But Moeed Yusuf, a vice president at the United States Institute of Peace, who moderated Mr Asif’s talk on Thursday, said the impression he got was that “the US-Pakistan relationship is in serious trouble”. He warned that “this relationship could come to a standstill despite neither side seeing this as the preferred option”.

On Friday, however, various international media outlets reported that the US and Pakistan have both decided to continue their efforts to mend the relationship and Washington has planned several visits to Islamabad for further talks.

US Secretary of Defence James Mattis told a congressional hearing last week that the United States will soon send two delegations — apparently, from the State Department and the National Security Council — to Islamabad. This will be followed up by two more visits, by secretaries of state and defence, he added.

But now it looks that Washington may send the delegations with the two secretaries instead of sending them separately. Since the details are still being finalised, this arrangement may also change.

Asked at a news briefing in Washington, the Pentagon’s Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White confirmed that Secretary Mattis will visit Pakistan soon but she did not have any specifics about this or other visits.

Pakistan is also sending a senior member of the current government, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal to Washington on Oct 11.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2017