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ISLAMABAD: The United States agreed on Tuesday to fulfil Pakistans urgent defence needs in the fight against terror. Recognising the enduring security requirements on both sides of
the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the two delegations agreed to
cooperate on a prioritised set of Pakistans defence requirements, a
statement issued at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the
Pakistan-US Defence Consultative Group said. Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Asif Yasin Malik and the US
Undersecretary of Defence for Policy, Dr James Miller, led their sides
at the talks held in Rawalpindi. Officials from both countries identified areas of future defence
cooperation for achieving shared objectives and committed to a
strong defence relationship. It was not clear what military hardware would be provided to
Pakistan to meet urgent requirements in the fight against militants
in tribal areas. Pakistans intended shopping list has always been a
very long one, but there are some critical needs, like spares for
maintenance of helicopter fleet. The decision on furnishing Pakistans defence requirements appears
to have been made in principle. Officials from both sides will meet in Washington in March for a
follow-up session where Pakistan will present its wish list. The
Pakistani delegation will be led by the defence production secretary. The 21st meeting of the consultative group marked the resumption
of defence talks under the strategic dialogue after a break of
almost 18 months. The last meeting took place in May last year. Although the dialogue at the ministerial level remains suspended
since the challenging events of last year, some of its segments
related to law enforcement, economy and defence have resumed
following a recent improvement in ties. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, after their talks in Brussels on Monday, welcomed these
meetings and said they looked forward to meetings of the working
groups on energy and strategic stability. Foreign Minister Khar had said in an interview earlier that ties with
the US, including military and intelligence contacts, had fully
recovered from the setbacks of 2011. During the meeting of the defence consultative group, the two sides
discussed issues related to Coalition Support Fund reimbursement
and security assistance programmes. It was agreed to continue the
discussions on both issues for finding the way forward. The
situation in Afghanistan and Pakistans counter-terrorism and
extremism operations in tribal areas also came up. The joint statement noted that the group remained an invaluable
forum to discuss strategic defence policy issues and exchange
views on shared security concerns. It noted the commitment of both sides to continue working
together to implement a framework for defence cooperation based
on areas of convergence between the US and Pakistani interests to
promote peace and stability in the region.
the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the two delegations agreed to
cooperate on a prioritised set of Pakistans defence requirements, a
statement issued at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the
Pakistan-US Defence Consultative Group said. Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Asif Yasin Malik and the US
Undersecretary of Defence for Policy, Dr James Miller, led their sides
at the talks held in Rawalpindi. Officials from both countries identified areas of future defence
cooperation for achieving shared objectives and committed to a
strong defence relationship. It was not clear what military hardware would be provided to
Pakistan to meet urgent requirements in the fight against militants
in tribal areas. Pakistans intended shopping list has always been a
very long one, but there are some critical needs, like spares for
maintenance of helicopter fleet. The decision on furnishing Pakistans defence requirements appears
to have been made in principle. Officials from both sides will meet in Washington in March for a
follow-up session where Pakistan will present its wish list. The
Pakistani delegation will be led by the defence production secretary. The 21st meeting of the consultative group marked the resumption
of defence talks under the strategic dialogue after a break of
almost 18 months. The last meeting took place in May last year. Although the dialogue at the ministerial level remains suspended
since the challenging events of last year, some of its segments
related to law enforcement, economy and defence have resumed
following a recent improvement in ties. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, after their talks in Brussels on Monday, welcomed these
meetings and said they looked forward to meetings of the working
groups on energy and strategic stability. Foreign Minister Khar had said in an interview earlier that ties with
the US, including military and intelligence contacts, had fully
recovered from the setbacks of 2011. During the meeting of the defence consultative group, the two sides
discussed issues related to Coalition Support Fund reimbursement
and security assistance programmes. It was agreed to continue the
discussions on both issues for finding the way forward. The
situation in Afghanistan and Pakistans counter-terrorism and
extremism operations in tribal areas also came up. The joint statement noted that the group remained an invaluable
forum to discuss strategic defence policy issues and exchange
views on shared security concerns. It noted the commitment of both sides to continue working
together to implement a framework for defence cooperation based
on areas of convergence between the US and Pakistani interests to
promote peace and stability in the region.
