The big news in Pakistan today wasn’t in Pakistan.
It was here in Tampa, where Chief of Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif met with the commander of U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III.
Here in Tampa, it didn’t even make the radar screen, what with nearly 200 representatives from more than 30 nations ensconced at MacDill Air Force Base plotting the demise of the Islamic State.
But Pakistan, which is also in the Centcom region, is still what Vice President Joe Biden would call a BFD. As the only nuclear-armed Muslim nation, having its own issues with the Taliban and increasing tensions with India, the world’s only nuclear-armed Hindu nation, Pakistan remains a key player.
So not surprisingly, Sharif’s visit to Tampa was huge news on Pakistani television, newspapers, radio and internet. The two military leaders picture together was splayed across Pakistan media while here, eh, what about Kardashian’s butt?
I did manage to get a little bit of information about the visit out of Centcom.
“The U.S. Central Command commander, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, and other senior Centcom leaders met with the Pakistan Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Raheel Sharif, at Centcom today,” Army Maj. Curt Kellogg said in an email. “They discussed topics of mutual interest and the importance of a strong U.S.-Pakistani security relationship.”
The Pakistani military, keen on playing up the visit, was a little more loquacious, enlisting a major general, not a major, to get out the word, via Twitter, on the visit by Sharif, whose has his own hashtag, #COAS.
“#COAS inUS:,” tweeted Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa, the Pakistani military spokesman. “Visited Tampa,called on Comd #CentCom Gen Llyod J.#Austin.personally recd by him with mil honor guard.”
The tweet including a picture of the two men standing together smiling.
“Tampa/US:Gen #Raheel gave Pak perspective on regional security,improving Pak Afgn mil relation.Indian aggression along LOC also discussed,” he tweeted again, talking about the tensions in Kashmir with India over the so-called Line of Control.
“#COAS in US:Gen Austin paid tributes to Pak Army for its commitment,professionalism,achievement in fight against terror,” Bajwa tweeted. “Praised ZarbeAzb,” a reference to an ongoing military effort by the Pakistani military against jihadis in North Waziristan, long a Taliban stronghold.
Sharif is also scheduled to meet with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army. Gen. Martin Dempsey and other U.S. military leaders in Washington during his trip to the U.S., according to Pakistan Today.