Hagel arrives in Pakistan amid ‘friction’

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with leaders in Pakistan on Monday — the first time a Defense secretary has visited the country in nearly four years.

{mosads}Hagel said Pakistan and Afghanistan have mutual interests after being greeted by the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif upon his arrival. Hagel was there partly to discuss the two countries’ common interest in a stable Afghanistan.

A U.S. official told Agence France-Presse “there is some friction in the relationship,” which Hagel wanted to address “head on.”

Pakistan raised its concern about continued U.S. drone strikes in the country, arguing they are counterproductive.

“The prime minister … conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern over continuing U.S. drone strikes, stressing that drone strikes were counter-productive to our efforts to combat terrorism and extremism on an enduring basis,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, according to the AFP.

The trip comes a week after the Defense Department temporarily closed key U.S. supply lines from Pakistan to Afghanistan because of security concerns regarding local protests of U.S. drone operations.

Hagel traveled from Afghanistan to Pakistan on Monday after he expressed surprise that Afghan President Hamid Karzai refused to sign a security agreement. The refusal increases the possibility of U.S. forces pulling out of the country, Hagel said Sunday.

Before the trip on Sunday, Defense Department spokesman Carl Woog said Hagel “looks forward to discussing with Prime Minister Sharif and other senior Pakistani officials the United States and Pakistan’s common interest in a stable Afghanistan.”