File photo of Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. Courtesy ISPR
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin will host an “honor cordon” for Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Pentagon on Tuesday (today) when he visits the site for an official meeting.
According to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Defense, Austin would welcome Gen. Bajwa to Washington. It said the arrival ceremony would be open to the press, but stressed that there would be no briefing.
An “honor cordon” is usually reserved for the U.S. president; vice president; statutory appointees; general or flag officers of the U.S. military; foreign dignitaries occupying positions comparable to these U.S. officials; and events intended to promote international goodwill. Gen. Bajwa is currently on a five-day official visit to the U.S., aimed at reviving ties between Islamabad and Washington that had been damaged by the fallout of the Taliban taking control of Kabul last year and former prime minister Imran Khan’s allegations of the U.S. “conspiring” to oust his government.
On Sunday, the COAS met United Nations Military Adviser Gen. Birama Diop in New York and discussed matters of mutual interest. In addition to meeting Austin, he is also expected to meet the heads of the U.S. National Intelligence and CIA, though the Pakistan Embassy has not issued any formal itinerary of his meetings.
According to local media, Gen. Bajwa would likely end his trip on Wednesday—he has been in the U.S. since Friday—after a meeting with U.S. scholars and think-tank experts at the Pakistan Embassy.