(Islamabad) – US Secretary of State John Kerry has invited Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for talks with President Barack Obama, seeking to upgrade fractious ties dominated by rows over drone strikes and Islamist militants. The United States’ top diplomat extended the invitation to the newly elected Nawaz Sharif for the highest-level Pakistan-US talks since January 2011, before a series of crises plunged relations to their lowest level.
Both sides announced the resumption of ministerial-level strategic dialogue, which had been frozen since the US killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May 2011. Pakistan has been a vital ally in the US-led war on Al Qaeda, and Kerry said it was now time to move beyond transactional ties to a fully fledged relationship.
