Pakistan army chief holds 'positive' talks with US politicians, military

Pakistan's army chief has said that Islamabad believes in maintaining a "balanced" relationship with all friendly countries as he nears end of his weeklong visit to United States where he met with senior officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

General Asim Munir also said on Wednesday that Pakistan wants to broaden bilateral engagement with the US, during interaction with prominent US think-tanks and media members in Washington DC.

"Pakistan is a country of consequence both from the geopolitical and geo-economic perspective and wishes to develop itself as a hub of connectivity and a gateway to Central Asia and beyond; however, it refrains from bloc politics and believes in maintaining balanced relationships with all friendly countries," said Munir, according to a statement from the Pakistani army.

Munir was referring to tense relations between China and the US, both longtime allies of Islamabad.

"Pakistan desires to broaden bilateral engagement with the US through long-term multi-domain partnership," said Munir, adding that his recent meetings with the political and military leadership of the US were very positive, and Pakistan was looking forward to strengthening the relationship.

Last year, bilateral annual trade between the US and Pakistan remained at more than $9.1 billion, making the two countries the most prominent military and trade partners.

Relations between Islamabad and Washington became tense after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and the US withdrew its forces in August 2021.

Munir's trip to Washington comes at a time when tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have grown following repeated terror attacks on Pakistani security forces in border areas with Afghanistan.

US Central Command visit

Meanwhile, the US Central Command said General Munir visited MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida state as the guest of General Michael Erik Kurilla.

Both discussed shared interests and regional security issues, along with increased collaborative training and the value of our military-to-military relationship.

"I was truly honoured to host General Asim Munir," said General Kurilla.

"Our relationship with Pakistan goes back over 76 years and is grounded in the pursuit of mutual interests," he said.

Last week General Munir met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York and discussed the current situation in Gaza as well as disputed Kashmir.

He briefed the UN chief on the situation in India-administered Kashmir, saying peace in South Asia will remain elusive until a peaceful solution to the long-standing Kashmir dispute is found under UNSC resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.