WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama’s pledge to visit Pakistan and invite President Asif Ali Zardari to Washington is vitally important in terms of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations, US special envoy for the region Ambassador Richard Holbrooke told a group of Pakistani journalists Thursday. Holbrooke spoke in the backdrop of a high point in US-Pakistan relations on Wednesday when during the top level Pakistani delegation’s visit for strategic dialogue, President Obama received the Pakistani delegation at the White House. The special US envoy said President Obama reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to Pakistan’s economic and democratic development and committed to visit Pakistan in 2011. The Obama Administration is helping both civilian government and the Pakistani army to grapple with flood recovery challenge, Holbrooke said as he underscored the wide-ranging cooperative ties between the two countries also working closely to fight militants along the Afghan border. Meanwhile, Pakistan and the United States Thursday discussed strengthening cooperation in the fields of energy, health, law enforcement, economic, women’s development at the State Department on the second day of the Strategic Dialogue. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will conclude the dialogue on Friday. The Pakistani delegation includes Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Water and Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Agriculture Minister Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Adviser to Prime Minister on Social Issues Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, federal secretaries and senior officials. Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed and Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani are holding talks with US defense leaders on security cooperation at Pentagon. AGENCIES