ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistani and US military commanders blamed each other on Thursday for not doing enough to stop cross-border terrorism.
The two-day visit of United States Central Command (Centcom) Commander Gen Joseph Votel, in which he held a series of meetings with senior Pakistani military commanders, including Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa, reinforced the perception that Pakistan and the US had not been able to narrow their trust deficit despite a series of high-level meetings.
Gen Votel’s trip, which was his fourth to Islamabad, is believed to be a preparatory visit for the upcoming trip of US Defence Secretary James Mattis, who is expected next month. Besides Gen Bajwa, the Centcom commander also met Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Zubair Hayat and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar.