Kerry holds key talks with Pakistani officials

The US delegation led by Secretary of State John Kerry arrived at the Pakistan Foreign Office to hold dialogue with Pakistani delegation led by Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz on Thursday, (Geo News) reported. US Secretary John Kerry arrived in Pakistan late Wednesday to press the new government on eliminating militant safe-havens as US-led troops prepare to leave Afghanistan along with addressing the issue of US drones strikes against suspected militants in the restive Waziristan areas of Pakistan. The talks will also focus on the Pakistan-US strategic dialogue, bilateral trade, counter-terrorism measures and Bhasha Dam. He is to hold talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who won a convincing victory in May elections, as well as with outgoing President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani. Kerry on Thursday paid tribute to the polls, which marked the first time that an elected civilian Pakistani government completed a full term in office and handed over to another at the ballot box. "This is a historic transition that just took place. Nobody should diminish it," he told US embassy staff. "I think President Zardari deserves credit... It is an enormous step forward. It is historic. In the 66 year history of Pakistan that has never happened. So change comes over time," he added. Pakistan-US relations, deeply troubled in recent years, have recovered at least somewhat from the crisis sparked by the US killing of Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Islamabad demands an end to US drone attacks targeting Al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives and bristles over US insistence that it do more to eradicate the threat posed by militants.