ISLAMABAD: US ambassador Alice Wells is visiting Pakistan Tuesday, with bilateral relations and the Afghan peace process expected to be on the agenda.
Her trip is a follow-up to September’s visit from US Secretary State Mike Pompeo and his meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, ministry spokesman Dr. Mohamed Faisal tweeted.
Wells is also due to meet Finance Minister Asad Umar and a possible IMF bailout is expected to be discussed.
Pakistan’s economy is sagging under a current account deficit of $18 billion, mainly due to high import bills, insufficient exports and home remittances, and forex reserves are dangerously low.
The government has attempted to get funds from other Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Prime Minister Imran Khan and senior cabinet members were in China recently, hoping for a similar package from one of its biggest investors.
Pakistan had approached the IMF but, in August, Pompeo said: “We’ll be watching what the IMF does. There’s no rationale for IMF tax dollars, and associated with that American dollars that are part of the IMF funding, for those to go to bail out Chinese bondholders or China itself.”
Ties between Pakistan and the US have been under since January, following the announcement of a South Asia strategy by US President Donald Trump. Trump accused Pakistan of sheltering terrorists – a charge Pakistan denies.
Later in the year the Pentagon froze $300 million in aid “due to a lack of decisive actions” on Pakistan’s part to eliminate terrorists from the country. The freeze was raised during Pompeo’s visit.
Pakistan claims the money is not aid but a refund for expenses incurred during the war on terror and for its support of the US and NATO-led armed forces.
US Deputy Secretary of State visiting Pakistan
US Deputy Secretary of State visiting Pakistan
- Bilateral relations and Afghan peace process on the agenda
- Pakistan-US ties strained since January
Pakistan Navy launches fourth Hangor-class submarine ‘Ghazi’ in China
- As per Islamabad’s agreement with Beijing, four of eight submarines will be built in China and the rest in Pakistan
- Navy says all four submarines under construction in China undergoing sea trials, in final stages of being handed over
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy announced on Wednesday it has launched the fourth Hangor-class submarine named “Ghazi” at a Chinese shipyard in Wuhan, saying the development will help maintain peace in the region.
Pakistan’s government signed an agreement with China for the acquisition of eight Hangor-class submarines, the navy said in its press release. Under the contract, four submarines are being built in China while the remaining four will be constructed in Pakistan by the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd. company.
“With the launching of GHAZI, Pakistan Navy has achieved another significant milestone where all four submarines under construction in China are now undergoing rigorous sea trials and are in the final stages of being handed over to Pakistan,” the navy said.
It further said that these submarines will be fitted with advanced weapons and sensors capable of engaging targets at standoff ranges.
“Hangor-class submarines will be pivotal in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the navy added.
Pakistan’s agreement with China is set to strengthen its naval defenses, especially as ties with arch-rival India remain tense.
India and Pakistan were involved in a four-day military confrontation in May this year before Washington intervened and brokered a ceasefire. Four days of confrontation saw the two countries pound each other with fighter jets, exchange artillery fire, missiles and drone strikes before peace prevailed.
Pakistan’s air force used Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets in May to shoot down an Indian Air Force Rafale aircraft, made by France.
The altercation between the nuclear-armed neighbors surprised many in the military community and raised questions over the superiority of Western hardware over Chinese alternatives.
Islamabad has long been Beijing’s top arms customer, and over the 2020-2024 period bought over 60 percent of China’s weapons exports, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
