ISLAMABAD: The top US diplomat, who arrived here yesterday for one-day visit, held a series of meetings with Pakistan’s leaders, with the US ally facing a looming balance of payments crisis as well as rising Islamist militancy.
The visit by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher came a month after a diplomatic spat over US ground and air incursions targeting Al-Qaeda and Taleban militants in Pakistani territory.
Boucher met Rehman Malik, the head of the Interior Ministry, and was expected to hold talks with leaders of the seven-month-old civilian government, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, officials said. An Interior Ministry statement described the talks as “cordial and friendly.”
Meanwhile, troops backed by helicopter gunships and artillery pounded militant positions in northwest Pakistan, killing 60 fighters and wounding many others, the military said yesterday. The assault occurred Friday evening in the Swat Valley.
An army statement said Friday’s offensive killed at least 60 militants and wounded many more near the town of Matta. It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the casualties. Reporters cannot visit the area because of poor security and government restrictions. No Taleban spokesman was available for comment.
