*WASHINGTON: **US Defence Secretary Mark Esper upcoming visit to Pakistanpostponed, sources have revealed.*
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper is postponing his upcoming trip toPakistan, India and Uzbekistan in order to help manage the Department ofDefence’s coronavirus response, a department spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the secretary of defence has decided topostpone his travel,” Department of Defense spokesperson Alyssa Farah saidin a statement, adding that the trip would occur at “a later date”.
He was expected to visit Pakistan later this month, as relations betweenIslamabad and Washington have seen significant improvement after formerplayed a significant role in brokering the landmark US-Taliban deal lastmonth.
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The deal has envisaged a host of measures — including release of thousandsof prisoners by both sides of the conflict, intra-Afghan dialogue and firmguarantees by the Taliban not to allow the Afghan soil to be used byterrorist groups.
Sources familiar with the development said that Afghanistan would havecertainly dominated the discussions as the process entered a crucial phasefollowing the signing of the deal.
