Grossman in Islamabad to ease tensions

ISLAMABAD:In a bid to ease tensions between Islamabad and Washington in the aftermath of Abbottabad raid, US special envoy to Afghanistan Marc Grossman on Wednesday arrived in Islamabad to follow up on discussions Senator John Kerry had earlier this week with the Pakistani leadership.

Leading a delegation of senior officials, Grossman is expected to meet the country’s top political and military leadership as part of efforts from both sides to put the process of engagement back on track, which had been affected since the killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2.

US Senator John Kerry’s visit on Monday helped ease the tension as the two countries agreed to work together in any future action against ‘high value targets’ in Pakistan. Kerry reported back to his colleagues in the United States Congress that Pakistan had agreed to take a series of measures to show its commitment  to defeat terrorism.

Questions have been raised about the commitment of Pakistan’s security forces to defeat al Qaeda in the wake of the world’s most wanted man’s presence in a city where the military has strong presence.

The US State Department said his trip will ‘lay the groundwork for her eventual visit.’

The talks will also decide the future of strategic dialogue between the two countries, currently delayed due to the mutual suspicion and distrust that overwhelmed the relationship after the death of the al Qaeda leader.

Meanwhile, CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell will also visit Islamabad in coming days following the visit of Marc Grossman. He will meet senior Pakistani intelligence officials to work out modalities for intelligence sharing on ‘high value targets.

PAN Monitor/ma

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