ISLAMABAD: US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice G. Wells will arrive in Islamabad today on a four-day state visit, according to a media note issued by the US Department of State.
The American diplomat has been in the region since January 13 and has already been to Sri Lanka and India before traveling to Pakistan.
Wells’s visit to Islamabad comes immediately after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi concluded his trip to the US where he interacted with senior United Nations and American officials in New York and Washington.
While Qureshi traveled to the US as part of his country’s Middle East diplomacy, he informed a news conference in Washington that the Pakistani administration was eager to receive American support on issues of strategic significance.
According to media reports, Pakistan asked the US to help get it off the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list. It also urged the American authorities to revisit their travel advisory to Pakistan since that could help the South Asian nation enhance tourism and earn significant revenue.
During her stay in Pakistan, Wells is expected to meet with senior civilian and military leadership of the country. Her meetings with Pakistani government functionaries are likely to focus on US-Pakistan bilateral relations, conflict in Afghanistan, situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, and the overall security situation of the region.
US diplomat Alice Wells to arrive in Pakistan today
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US diplomat Alice Wells to arrive in Pakistan today
- The American deputy secretary of state for South and Central Asia has already visited Sri Lanka and India
- Pakistan wants to enlist the support of the administration in Washington over strategic issues
Saudi Arabia condemns deadly mosque bombing in Pakistan’s capital
- The Kingdom rejects targeting of places of worship, expresses solidarity with Pakistan
- Saudi foreign ministry offers condolences to victims’ families, wishes injured recovery
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Friday condemned the suicide bombing that targeted a mosque in Islamabad, expressing solidarity with Pakistan after the attack killed and injured dozens on the outskirts of the capital.
The blast, which struck during Friday prayers, killed at least 31 people and wounded more than 160 others, according to Pakistani authorities.
In a statement issued by its foreign ministry, Saudi Arabia denounced the targeting of a place of worship and rejected all forms of violence and extremism.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Islamabad,” the statement said.
It added that the Kingdom stood firmly against attacks on civilians and places of worship and reaffirmed its support for Pakistan in confronting militant violence.
The ministry also extended condolences to the families of those killed and expressed sympathy with the Pakistani government and people, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.
No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which Pakistani officials say is being investigated.
