ISLAMABAD, June 12: As part of the United States’ diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in South Asia, the US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived here on Wednesday evening on the last leg of his visit to the region.

Rusmfeld, who flew straight from New Delhi, reportedly with some fresh proposals for monitoring of movement across the Line of Control, was received by Commerce Minister Razzak Dawood at the PAF Base in the absence of Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar.

Defence Secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan and other senior defence ministry officials were also present on the occasion. The US Defence Secretary drove straight to a local five-star hotel amidst unprecedented security measures, which were also supervised by some US intelligence officials.

Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar, who was included in President Musharraf’s delegation visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, returned home after Rumsfeld’s arrival.

Mr Rumsfeld will meet President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Thursday morning following his formal talks with the foreign minister. After the talks with Pakistani officials, he will address a press conference on his visit to the region.

This is the second visit of the US Defence Secretary to Pakistan since the Sept 11 terrorist blitz last year, and comes hot on the heels of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage’s sojourn to the region.

The Indian government’s decision to withdraw their naval deployment in the Arabian Sea, lift restrictions on PIA from using Indian airspace and nominate a new High Commissioner to Islamabad, had come after Mr Armitage’s talks.

Islamabad, which has already rejected these measures as “cosmetic” and “without much substance”, expected some significant steps, including withdrawal of Indian troops to the peacetime locations and start of a “meaningful” dialogue as the outcome of Mr Rumsfeld’s diplomatic initiative.