Washington, October 22 (RHC)-- The Barack Obama administration has decided to release more than $1.6 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan. The aid was suspended following tensions over a number of incidents, including the U.S. raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, a U.S. airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and ongoing U.S. drone strikes.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in Washington this week to meet with the U.S. president. Upon his arrival in the U.S. capital, Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed him, saying that the U.S. is "very anxious to have a series of high-level, important discussions over the course of the next few days" with Pakistan. He said that such relations would be "important for regional stability."