ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Pakistan on Wednesday night for meetings to ease tension over US drone strikes, the war in neighboring Afghanistan and the fight against Islamic extremism.
Kerry is also expected to press the new Pakistani government of Nawaz Sharif on eliminating Islamist militant safe-havens as US-led troops prepare to leave Afghanistan.
He arrived in Islamabad shortly before 9pm (1600 GMT) on a trip that was not announced ahead of time because of security concerns. He is scheduled to meet with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani on Thursday.
Kerry plans a stop in London on his return to Washington.Earlier during the day, PM Sharif met with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and discussed the agenda for their meetings with the US secretary of state.
Our issues that we will discuss with the Pakistanis are counterterrorism, cross-border militancy, the economic agenda and how we can continue to partner in terms of promoting a secure and stable Afghanistan, a senior US official told reporters travelling with Kerry.
However, drone strikes are expected to be another point of contention. Washington says it needs to attack dangerous militants with drones because Pakistan's government refuses to engage them militarily. Pakistan contends the drone strikes are a fresh violation of its sovereignty, and they have increased widespread anti-American sentiment in the country.
The United States has reduced the number of drone attacks against militants in Pakistan and limited strikes to top targets. These moves appear to have appeased Pakistan's generals for now, US officials said.
But some officials are worry about pushback from the new civilian officials, including Sharif, who wants the attacks ended.
There have been 16 drone strikes taken place in Pakistan so far this year, compared with a peak of 122 in 2010, 73 in 2011 and 48 in 2012, according to the New America Foundation, a US-based think tank.
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