US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad’s visit to Pakistan this week is expected to focus on economic cooperation between the two countries and Pakistan’s role in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Afghanistan. Khalilzad, who has arrived in Uzbekistan on the first leg of his three-nation visit, is expected to arrive in Islamabad Thursday at the conclusion of his three-day stay in Tashkent. The State Department says Ambassador Khalilzad is joined by US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) CEO Adam Boehler and his team, which indicates the US delegation will explore ways for American investment opportunities in Pakistan. “The delegation will explore investment opportunities and partnerships in a range of sectors to advance the economic recovery of Afghanistan and support sustained peace and stability in the region,” said a State Department statement, issued on the departure of Khalilzad on the visit which will also take him to Qatar. The statement said Afghan peace, economic growth, and regional connectivity are closely linked and mutually supportive. In Qatar Khalilzad is expected to meet the Taliban political representatives to press for the start of the intra-Afghan negotiations and reduce violence, as there is no let-up in violence in Afghanistan despite the US-Taliban agreement. He would also discuss It is unfortunate that the violence now takes the lives of innocent Afghans and the Taliban and the Afghan government forces are equally blamed for the spike in the violence. Afghan government and the Taliban on Monday accused each other of firing mortars in southern Helmand province which killed 23 civilians, including children, and injured 15 others, according to Afghan media. This is the first time Khalilzad is accompanied by the head of the DFC, a wholly owned US government corporation, is charged with promoting private investment in developing countries to support US global development goals and economic interests. The US delegation is expected to meet officials of the government’s economic team in Islamabad to discuss cooperation in different fields. Pakistan has long been urging the US to shift focus to trade instead of aid and both sides will have an opportunity during the DFC’s head visit to Pakistan. It will be Khalilzad’s second visit to Pakistan this month as part of his peace efforts. He also visited Pakistan in May and April and sought Pakistan’s help to push the Afghan peace process forward. In Uzbekistan, Khalilzad and his team will discuss the peace process and economic cooperation, according to the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan. An Uzbekistan Foreign Ministry’s statement said on Monday that the US delegation program of the visit includes bilateral negotiations in the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, ministries of Foreign Affairs, Investments and Foreign Trade, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan. Issues of supporting the peace negotiation process in Afghanistan and prospects for attracting DFC funds for implementing investment projects in Uzbekistan will be discussed at the meeting. The US delegation will also attend Central Asia – USA (C5+1) meeting on Tuesday via videoconference. Ministers and senior officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will join the meeting. Afghan peace process will also come under discussion as Uzbekistan seeks an active role in the peace efforts. Uzbekistan is among the few countries, which has offered to host the intra-Afghan negotiations. Taliban political representatives have paid visits to Uzbekistan for talks on the peace process. Uzbekistan Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov met the Taliban head of political office Abdul Ghani Baradar last year and later Baradar also visited Tashkent.