ISLAMABAD - NEW CIA chief Leon Panetta was in Pakistan on Saturday for high-level talks on a major review of US strategy in the war against Islamist militants in South Asia, a Pakistani official said.

Mr Panetta, who was sworn in as head of the CIA last month, held talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari.

'It is his first visit as head of the CIA to the region, so he is looking to see what Pakistan is doing and how Pakistan views the ongoing review by the US administration,' said a Pakistani official on condition of anonymity.

Mr Panetta also held talks with Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the director general of Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

The US embassy in Islamabad was not immediately reachable for comment.

US President Barack Obama has ordered a top-to-bottom review of his war policy in Afghanistan.

Washington has declared Pakistan an integral part of its fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda extremists in the region. -- AFP