US defence secy visits Pakistan unannounced; praises Musharraf's role in terror war
Sunday, Dec. 25, 2005, ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government had made preparations for the brief visit of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about a week ago when it was officially conveyed that the high-ranking US official would visit the country.
His travel here, however, remained a guarded secret. It was the Ministry
of Defence that coordinated the few hours that Rumsfeld spent in Pakistan. While the main reason for Rumsfeld's visit was to bring some holiday cheer to the American troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan - and that was all that he wanted to include in his itinerary - the US embassy was convinced that a call on President Pervez Musharraf would be appreciated.
After the high-profile visit of Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday and his extensive meetings at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, Rumsfeld spent very little time with Musharraf in the afternoon. The official electronic media did not cover the event.
Neither the Army nor the president's office was surprised that the United States has started withdrawing its troops and helicopters from the quake-hit regions. "With the passage of time these US helicopters had to return to Afghanistan where they are also needed at this time. The troops connected with these helicopters had also to return. Our main concern is the American hospital in Azad Kashmir (MASH), which is doing some excellent work," ISPR chief Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan told The News.
According to western diplomatic sources, Dick Cheney informed Musharraf
on Tuesday that MASH would continue functioning till March 2006 when it will be decided, assessing the situation on the ground, whether the US government will extend its stay or if its personnel will also return.
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