ISLAMABAD  – In another major development, the Trump administration has approved resumption of its International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme for Pakistani personnel at the U.S. institutions, and to strengthen military to military cooperation between the two nations.

The approval came a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke over phone with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the situation in the region in the aftermath of the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards.

It will “strengthen” military to military cooperation between the two countries on “shared priorities,” U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells stated in a tweet on Friday.

“To strengthen military to military cooperation on shared priorities and advance US national security, President Donald Trump authorised the resumption of International Military Education and Training for Pakistan. The overall security assistance suspension for Pakistan remains in effect.”

However, the overall security assistance suspension for Pakistan remains in effect, it pointed out. The Trump administration had in August 2018 suspended the more than a decade-long International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme for Pakistani personnel at the U.S. institutions.