Islamabad, March 08: A new US envoy has visited Pakistan to hold talks on the two countries’ relations strained since CIA operative Raymond Davis shot two Pakistanis dead on 27 January.
US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman arrived in Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Monday to first hold talks with the country’s Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.
Pakistan expressed concerns to Grossman that more than 75% payment of the Coalition Support Fund was still due. The fund was created by the US to give military funds to 27 nations including Pakistan after the 9/11 events.
“Pakistan and the US are in continuous negotiations over the release of these funds. We know that there have been accounting problems and other problems which may have political implications, but the negotiations are going on,” Pakistani political analyst Naseem Zehra told Media.
Meanwhile, the US President Barack Obama’s administration has become alarmed at the decline in counter-terrorism cooperation in the aftermath of the Davis row, given that it comes ahead of the start of a planned security transition in neighboring Afghanistan due later this month.
Moreover, ties between the two countries’ spy agencies have been rocked by the row over Davis’ murder cases.
“They [the US and Pakistan] went through a high tension period but it seems now that the relationship is on track in terms of other bilateral issues while dealing with the Raymond issue,” Zehra added.
The proposed end game in Afghanistan requires Pakistan to play a significant role once the reconciliation process is underway with the Afghan Taliban.
Pakistan’s refusal to launch military operation in North Waziristan agency, which borders Afghanistan, has seriously concerns in the United States. The region harbors fighters from the Haqqani Network, which has been targeting US forces in Afghanistan.
Davis has claimed that killing of the two Pakistani men was an act of self-defense. A third man was also killed by a US diplomatic vehicle that rushed to assist Davis after the incident.
Washington is putting pressure on Pakistan to release Davis, claiming that he has diplomatic immunity while Pakistan says the case requires further consideration.
——–Agencies