WASHINGTON, Sept 23: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Inamul Haq, began his meetings with US officials on Tuesday.

Inam began his engagements with a series of meetings with the lobbyists working for Pakistan in the US capital. He has three major meetings later in the day with US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, national security adviser, Condaleeza Rice and Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage.

The meeting with Armitage, who has been shuttling between Washington and South Asia since June this year to reduce tension between India and Pakistan, is expected to focus on the situation in the subcontinent.

State elections in held Kashmir and New Delhi’s allegations that Pakistan has increased cross-border infiltrations in Kashmir, will figure prominently at the talks. However, it is on a more immediate issue “illegal Pakistani immigrants in the United States” that the Pakistani officials hope to utilize the present pro-Pakistan feelings in Washington to win concessions from the US administration.

Pakistani media, both in the US and in Pakistan, have criticized the government for failing to prevent the racial profiling of Pakistani nationals living here. They point out that the Pakistanis continue to face deportation, arrest and harassment despite the fact that so far no Pakistani in the US has been found involved in any terrorist activity.

Several major US newspapers and television channels prominently carried a report saying that Bush has personally thanked Musharraf for catching Al-Shibh.