Pakistan, US to hold defence talks

US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates (C) talks to Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Kayani as Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar listens. — File Photo by Reuters WASHINGTON: A Pakistani defence delegation arrives in Washington on Sunday for talks on a five-year plan for meeting the country's defence needs, diplomatic sources told Dawn. Also this week, a US delegation goes to Islamabad for trilateral talks with Afghan and Pakistani officials, which begin on May 3. Defence secretary Athar Ali Khan will lead the Pakistani delegation, which will include representatives from all three forces as well as the ministry of foreign affairs. The talks are part of the US-Pakistan Defence Consultative Group, which may now be merged with the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, also slated in Islamabad in late May. Issues to be discussed include expected purchases by the three services, military training programmes, military contracts and the next year's funding from the Coalition Support Fund. About $1.8 billon of arrears from the claims that Pakistan has submitted in the years 2010 and 2011 will also be discussed. These claims are for reimbursement of the funds Pakistan has spent in fighting insurgents in Fata. Defence purchases may include ships for the Pakistan Navy and weapons for the army and the air force. A reported offer that the US will provide 85 drones to Pakistan may also come up for discussion, although it's not part of the agenda, diplomatic sources said. "We have never received a concrete offer," said a Pakistani diplomatic source. "Besides, the drones being offered do not meet our needs. We already produce such drones at home." Meanwhile, the US-Pakistan-Afghanistan meeting — which was postponed after the arrest in Lahore of CIA contractor Raymond Davis in a double murder case — is now being held as well.