Ties in focus as Pakistan army chief meets US officials

Analysts say General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is in the US for a week-long visit, is there to ensure ties remain functional. “I wouldn’t rule out this trip involving discussions of greater military cooperation.” During the previous decade, Pakistan steadily moved towards its main regional ally China for its economic and defence needs, which resulted in the gradual cooling-off in its relationship with the US. “It is perhaps a kind of assurance to the Americans by the army chief that whatever we agree, Pakistan will continue with policy,” Lahore-based political analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi told Al Jazeera. “In return, the US is providing some aid to Pakistan to mitigate the damage and destruction unleashed by monsoon floods as well as use its influence on the International Monetary Fund for the bailout package and help the country come off the FATF list,” Basit told Al Jazeera, referring to the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental body that keeps Pakistan on a watchlist of countries that do not meet the organisation’s criteria to restrict the funding of terrorist groups. “The US has reservations regarding the Chinese role in Pakistan, and they want to use India as a counterbalance against China,” he said.