US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday where he is expected to meet with top government officials regarding Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts.
Tillerson's visit, his first to Pakistan since becoming secretary of state, follows on the heels of an unannounced stop in Afghanistan, where the top United States (US) diplomat reiterated America's commitment to the country.
Speaking to journalists in Afghanistan on Monday, Tillerson had said that the US has made “some very specific requests” of Pakistan to undermine the Taliban which would be discussed with leadership in Islamabad during his trip.
According to BBC Urdu, Tillerson's visit, during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Jawed Bajwa, will last a mere four hours.
The secretary will also meet with Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, who had invited Tillerson to visit Pakistan, Radio Pakistan reported.
According to the state-run daily, Pak-US relations, stability in Afghanistan and regional security issues will be discussed during the meetings.
The US-Pakistan relationship has waxed and waned dramatically since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
Tensions between Washington and Islamabad soared in August when Trump, announcing his South Asia policy, lambasted Pakistan for offering safe havens to "agents of chaos". Pakistan, however, has denied the charge and said that Washington has discounted the thousands of lives lost and billions spent in fighting extremism.
Tillerson's visit comes weeks after the policy announcement and is expected to be followed by a visit by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis later this year.
