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Journalism of Courage
Pakistani and US officials will meet this week in Washington to discuss the release of more than 30 Pakistanis still detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, officials said today.
A three-member government delegation headed by Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema, head of the National Crisis Management Cell at the Interior Ministry, is leaving early tomorrow for three days of discussions with State Department officials.
This will be the first bilateral meeting since the two countries agreed to put in place a process to screen Pakistani prisoners for their possible release from detention.
Thousands of Pakistanis were captured in Afghanistan following the ouster of the Taliban regime in late 2001.
Securing the release of Pakistani prisoners has been a major concern of Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in the war on terror.
Meanwhile, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported today that a joint venture between China and Pakistan will begin initial production of 16 Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder fighters in 2006.
First deliveries to Pakistan Air Force will start in mid-2006, Air Vice Marshal Lateef was quoted as saying.
Pakistan also announced today that it would cut the size of its Army by 50,000 personnel to save money and make its forces leaner and more ‘‘hard-hitting’’.
The decision to cut the size of the Army, slightly above half a million troops, was discussed at a high-level meeting of top military officers chaired by President General Pervez Musharraf.
