WASHINGTON: Rebuilding bilateral ties, and not restoration of suspended military aid, would be the focus of the ISI chief’s talks in the US capital, diplomatic sources told Dawn on Wednesday. Lt-Gen Shuja Pasha arrived in Washington on Wednesday afternoon on a one-day visit, days after the United States decided to suspend about $800 million of military assistance to Pakistan. He is scheduled to meet the CIA chief and other US intelligence and security officials.

A meeting with the former CIA chief, Leon Panetta, who is now the secretary of defence, is also possible although not yet confirmed.

Gen Pasha had his last meeting with Mr Panetta a few days before the May 2 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Although it was a lengthy meeting, which occupied most of his time during his one-day stay in Washington, Mr Panetta did not even hint that his agency had discovered the Al Qaeda chief and was planning to raid his hideout deep inside Pakistan.

The operation further strained already tense relations and triggered a chain of events that led to the suspension of military aid.

On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing that the US and Pakistani governments were already discussing the suspension of aid before Gen Pasha’s arrival in Washington.

At the briefing, a journalist reminded Mr Toner that earlier in the day Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also spoke about the US decision and his tone was more conciliatory than that of the Pakistani military. “So has there been any official contact at governmental level between the United States and Pakistan about this issue?” the journalist asked.

“Well, there’s always contact between us and Pakistani authorities on a regular basis,” Mr Toner replied. “On this specific issue?” the journalist asked.

“I can imagine, since this story broke over the weekend, that they’ve talked about it,” the US official said. “We value our partnership with Pakistan.

It’s not always easy but it’s certainly vital, and it’s in both our shared interests. We’re strongly committed to it,” Mr Toner added.

Pakistani diplomats, when asked to explain the agenda for Gen Pasha’s meetings, said that as the State Department had pointed out, the emphasis was on rebuilding relations, not aid.

They explained that Pakistan had three major concerns: rebuilding bilateral relations, protecting its interests in Afghanistan, particularly after the US withdrawal, and a halt to anti-Pakistan propaganda in the US.

They pointed out that almost all anti-Pakistan stories in the US media were based on “selective leaks” from US officials. They interpreted this as “media diplomacy, which brings unnecessary pressure on Pakistan”.

Stopping this propaganda, they argued, would also help rebuild relations. Pakistan, they said, wanted good relations between the two militaries, a better arrangement for intelligence-sharing and to be kept in the loop about the deployment of US intelligence and security personnel in thecountry. Such measures, they argued, would help create a better environment for improving bilateral ties.

As part of its efforts to protect its interests in Afghanistan, Pakistan was seeking a greater role in the US-led negotiations with the Taliban and was willing to help bring the Haqqani network to the table as well.

The Pakistanis feared that increasing US demands for more action against the Taliban could have dangerous consequences for them after the US departure. They argued that they did not want to face continued cross-border attacks by angry Pakhtuns after the US departure and that’s why they favoured a negotiated settlement to the dispute.