Top US official to embark on India-Pakistan visit today

US Deputy Secretary of State to start his two-day visit to New Delhi from today and meet senior Indian officials

US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Pakistan and India in the coming days to discuss key political, economic, and security issues with government officials and non-governmental experts.

According to a statement published on the US State Department’s website, Blinkin will start his two-day visit to New Delhi from December 7 (today) and meet senior Indian officials.



The discussions will include ‘a range of bilateral and global economic and security issues’, including ongoing US-India cooperation to advance mutual prosperity and regional stability. He will also visit a local business incubator as part of his ongoing outreach to build new bridges between policymakers and innovators.

The deputy secretary will visit Islamabad from December 8-10 to represent the United States at the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Conference.

At the conference, Blinken will discuss efforts ‘to deepen regional cooperation on our goal of a fully peaceful and stable Afghanistan’, as well as efforts to increase security and prosperity in the region as a whole.



While in Islamabad, the deputy secretary will also meet with senior Pakistani officials to follow up on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s October visit to Washington and discuss ways to enhance the multidimensional relationship between Washington and Islamabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th,  2015.