By DPA
Islamabad : US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher arrived in Pakistan Friday to prepare for strategic talks amid growing political instability in the South Asian country.
Boucher’s visit paves the way for a visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Sep 12 and 13.
Negroponte is due to meet two key US partners in the war against terrorism, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, to discuss progress in cooperation since 2001.
He is also to continue the US-Pakistan Strategic Partnership dialogue, which covers joint efforts in counter-terrorism, education, economic activities, and science and technology.
The visits by the US officials come amid rising tensions in Pakistan over Musharraf’s plans to secure five more years in power from parliament, and the expected return Monday by former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif after almost seven years in exile.
Sharif potentially faces arrest over corruption charges relating to his tenure in the 1990s but has pledged to lead opposition to General Musharraf, who ousted him in a 1999 coup.