Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; discussions on bilateral, global issues expected

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, during which the two officials are likely to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest.

Vijay Gokhale arrived in the United States on Sunday in connection with the bilateral Foreign Office Consultation and Strategic Security Dialogue with his American counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson.

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While his US trip was scheduled much before the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were martyred in a drastic suicide terror attack by Pak-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad, Gokhale's meeting with Pompeo and his counterparts in Washington this week is expected to gain media spotlight in view of the escalated tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the air strike at a terrorist camp deep inside Pakistan and subsequent developments.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district.

In the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack which took place on February 14, the Indian forces had vowed to avenge the deaths of 40 CRPF soldiers. In a major development on Tuesday, February 26, Indian Air Force struck down the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Balakot and other parts of Pakistan, 12 days after the Pulwama terror attack.

READ: As India Strikes Pakistan-based JeM Launchpads, Here's How Indian Security Forces Vowed Revenge Post Pulwama Terror Attack

(With agency inputs)