WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper is expected to visit Pakistan later this month, according to media reports.

The dates for Esper’s visit to Pakistan will either be March 18 or 19, according to various reports.

During the visit, Esper is expected to call upon Prime Minister Imran Khan. The talks would focus on bilateral security cooperation as the US gears up to exit from Afghanistan after two decades of war.

The reports also said that Esper’s visit would be a follow up to the talks and bilateral meetings held between Prime Minister Imran and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos earlier in January.

Esper’s visit comes in the backdrop of the Taliban deal where Pakistan played a key facilitator and enabler of the peace pact to end the most expensive war in US history.

The matter of the Coalition Support Fund is likely to be taken up during the bilateral talks.