US diplomat Alice Wells to arrive in Pakistan today

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells. Photo: File

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells will arrive in Islamabad today for a four-day visit.

The visit by Wells is part of her 10-day visit to the region during which she travelled to Sri Lanka and India before her arrival in Pakistan.

In Islamabad, she will meet with senior Pakistani government officials and members of civil society to discuss issues of bilateral and regional concern, including Afghanistan and the Middle East tensions.

US should withdraw troops from Afghanistan responsibly, avoid past mistakes: FM Qureshi

Wells visit to Pakistan comes on the heels of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's visit to United States where he met with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande in New York and then US lawmakers exchanged views on Pakistan-US bilateral relations and important regional and other matters of mutual interest, including Afghanistan peace process and Kashmir issue. 

During his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Qureshi said Pakistan desired peace and stability in the region and was committed to play its role ending the prevailing tension in the region.

Furthermore, Qureshi told his American counterpart that it was due to the joint peace efforts of Pakistan and US that after 40 years of long confrontation, the news of peace through political settlement was coming from Afghanistan.

He said that Pakistan was playing its sincere role for the common cause of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Pompeo appreciated Pakistan for its sincere and mediatory efforts for a “political solution in Afghanistan”, “Afghan peace process” as well as for a peaceful neighborhood.

Read also: FM Qureshi discusses regional security with US lawmakers

Wells' last visit to Islamabad in August 2019 had come a day after the Indian government had rushed through a presidential decree to abolish Article 370 of the Constitution that granted special status to Indian occupied Kashmir.