ISLAMABAD: US National Security Advisor Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster arrived in Islamabad on Monday on an unannounced visit, a day after he hinted the US could take a tougher stance on Pakistan, reports AFP. It was the first visit by a top member of President Donald Trump’s administration to the militancy-hit South Asian country, and came after a stop in neighbouring Afghanistan where he suggested Washington may take a stronger line on Islamabad, for years seen as an unreliable US ally.
A statement issued by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s office said McMaster had “assured the Prime Minister that the new administration was committed to strengthening bilateral relations and working with Pakistan, to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan and in the wider South Asian region.”
McMaster’s visits are being closely watched for clues as to the Trump administration’s future course of action in the region.