Amid fraught Islamabad and Washington ties, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is slated to arrive in Islamabad on Thursday for talks to iron out differences between the two countries on the Afghan issue.
Sherman, who is currently visiting India, will be travelling to Pakistan, Dawn reported.
"Deputy Secretary Sherman will complete her trip by travelling to Islamabad on October 7-8 to meet senior officials," said a media note issued by the office of the department's spokesperson.
Other diplomatic sources in Washington noted that this would be an important and "the highest-level US visit so far under the Biden administration." Sherman is the senior-most official in the State Department after Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"The visit is taking place at a very critical time both, in the context of Afghanistan and developments in the wider region," said a senior diplomatic source when asked to explain why Islamabad sees this as an important visit.
The source pointed out that the Biden administration did "not seem to be reluctant to travel to both India and Pakistan in one go, which was the case in the past."
According to these sources, the Biden administration is focusing on four major points in its talks with Pakistan, recognition of the Taliban government in Kabul, international sanctions on Afghanistan, access to Afghanistan and counter-terrorism cooperation.
( With inputs from ANI )
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