Pakistan Army chief leaves for talks in US

Islamabad, March 20 : The Pakistan Army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, left Saturday on an official visit to the United States to participate in Pakistan-US strategic dialogue scheduled for March 24.

Kayani is visiting America at the special invitation of US Central Command head, General David Petraeus, Online news agency quoted Inter-Services Public Relations as saying.

During the visit, Kayani is scheduled to meet senior US military and government officials in Tampa, the headquarters of the Central Command, and Washington.

Among those he is slated to meet are Defence Secretary Roberts Gates; chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral

Michael Mullen, and US Army chief Gen. George W. Casey.

Issues related to the Pakistan-US defence and military relations, the security situation in the region, the ongoing military operation against Afghan Taliban in Helmand by the US and allied troops, the new US strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan's military and defence needs would be discussed during the meetings, sources said.

A high-level Pakistani delegation is also headed for Washington for the strategic dialogue. The delegation includes Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, advisor to the prime minister on finance Hafeez Sheikh, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Defence Secretary Athar Ali.