‘Honour cordon’ for Gen Bajwa at Pentagon today

• Pakistani officials are tight-lipped about Gen Bajwa's US visit.
• Sources say COAS will be in US for another couple of days.
• Army chief’s visit was rescheduled at least thrice in the last year. 

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin Chief will host an “honour cordon” for Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Pentagon today.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bajwa is in the US on a weeklong visit and is scheduled to meet defence and intelligence chiefs.

The US Department of Defence’s website said that Austin will host an “honour cordon” and welcome the COAS to the Pentagon on the steps of the River Entrance.

The event will also be covered by the media, it added.

In the US, honour cordons are generally reserved for the US president, vice president, statutory appointees, general or flag officers of the country’s military. The cordon is also offered to foreign dignitaries occupying positions comparable to these US officials, and for occasions in which such ceremonies promote international goodwill.

Earlier today, The News reported that the army chief held meetings with senior officials of the Biden administration in Washington.

The army chief had arrived in the US on Friday and met with the UN officials in New York in the first phase of his trip.

The Pakistani government officials have been tight-lipped about the visit but sources confirmed to the publication that the army chief had started meeting with senior officials in Washington DC from Monday.

Officials, who spoke to the paper on the condition of anonymity, said that Gen Bajwa will be in the US for another couple of days. They also labelled the trip as an important one that portrays the “robust relations” between the two countries.

Sources emphasised that the US-Pakistan relations were diversifying but the defence and security ties had always been stronger.

The army chief’s visit to the US was long due and was rescheduled at least thrice in the last year, the sources said, adding that the army chief will be meeting with defence and security-related officials during this trip.

The last time General Bajwa visited the US was in 2019.