ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 18 (UPI) -- U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke arrived Friday in Islamabad to hold strategic talks with Pakistani leaders, Islamabad said.
Holbrooke and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi are scheduled to "discuss a whole range of bilateral issues, as well as review the ongoing sectoral meetings," the Associated Press of Pakistan quoted a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Office as saying.
Holbrooke is scheduled to meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during his two-day visit.
"The visit by the special representative will help inject further momentum into our bilateral efforts towards establishing a long-term mutually beneficial partnership," the statement said.
Washington in 2009 linked stability in Pakistan to its revised war strategy to support the Afghan government. Holbrooke during a March visit to Washington by Pakistani officials said the battle against regional insurgents has cast Islamabad in a new light.
The Holbrooke visit comes on the heels of a Pakistani request for a $2.5 billion list of aerial weapons, including the U.S. Apache and Black Hawk helicopters.
Husain Haqqani, the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, complained earlier this week that Washington was doing little to support the fight against terrorism in his country.
