International Security Assistance Force head meets Pakistan Army chief

ISLAMABAD: Close on the heels of a visit by the US Defence Secretary, the head of the International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) in Afghanistan today met new Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif.

"It was a routine coordination visit, the two discussed matters of mutual interest with particular focus on Pakistan-Afghanistan border coordination mechanism," a statement from the Pakistan military said about the visit by ISAF chief Gen Joseph Dunford.

The trip came just days after US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel reportedly warned leaders here that if they failed to resolve protests stalling NATO supplies to Afghanistan, it could be difficult to maintain political support in Washington for an aid programme that has sent billions of dollars to Pakistan.

The Foreign Office has rejected reports that Hagel had warned Pakistan during his quick visit to the country.

On December 14, Gen Sharif met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to devise a strategy for the early resumption of suspended NATO supplies through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The supplies were suspended last month after Imran Khan's party blocked routes running through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which it rules, to protest against US drone strikes.