Washington:
The US has perhaps for the first time come out in the open recognising Pakistan army's power in the country's strategy.
The Obama administration's envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, has ruled out a strategic dialogue with Pakistan without an active participation of Pakistan military.
As a result of this, Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani and Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha have been included in the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue slated to be held in Washington next week.
"How can you have a strategic dialogue without including the military," Holbrooke told reporters at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the state department.
"If we have a strategic dialogue in our country, we're going to include the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff or some other representative. So we are very pleased that General Kiyani is part of this delegation. We think that it's one country, one government, one team. It was their decision, and we welcomed it," Holbrooke said.
US Secretary of state Hillary Clinton and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmoud Qureshi would be co-chairing the day-long meeting on March 24.