Key US officials visiting Pakistan in Dec to discuss Afghanistan, other matters: FO

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Three key US officials will be visiting Pakistan in December, as the two countries continue to hold consultations on a range of issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, the Foreign Office said in a statement released on Sunday.

Highlighting these upcoming visits, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said US Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration, Julieta Valls Noyes, is scheduled to embark on a three-day visit to Pakistan starting on Monday; US Special Representative on Afghanistan, Tom West, is set to visit Islamabad on Thursday; and US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Elizabeth Horst, is slated to visit Pakistan from December 9.

The spokesperson further said that these visits are integral to the ongoing dialogue with the United States, covering a spectrum of issues, with a particular focus on the situation in Afghanistan.

According to the US State Department, Julieta Valls Noyes will meet with senior government officials, as well as non-governmental and international organisation partners.

During her visit, Noyes will discuss shared efforts to protect vulnerable individuals and accelerate the safe, efficient relocation and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US immigration pipeline.