ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The US Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived here on Monday on the first leg of his visit to South Asia, which has been classified by the State Department as “secret.”

A special plane carrying Mr Powell and his 40-member delegation landed at Chaklala Air Force base at 6.20 pm, where he was received by Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar.

Mr Powell, amid high security alert and with an army helicopter droning overhead, drove straight to the US embassy in the diplomatic enclave, which has been under heavy security cordon since Sept 11.

Foreign office issued no word about the engagements of Mr Powell on Monday night. The FO spokesman simply refused to disclose the schedule of his meetings with President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

An official of the US embassy said that US Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin had hosted a dinner for the visiting delegation at the embassy on Monday night.

Sources said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf also attended the dinner but Secretary Information Anwer Mehmood, when contacted, denied that the President had visited the US embassy.

The official of US embassy said that Mr Powell would hold talks with President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday morning.

Mr Powell will also address a press conference after his meeting with the President. Afghanistan would remain the focus of Mr Powell’s discussions with President Musharraf. However, Kashmir issue is also likely to figure prominently.