Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for Afghanistan Tuesday on one-day visit on the invitation of President Ashraf Ghani.
The Prime Minister is accompanied by Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Gen. Raheel Shairf, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and senior officials.
“PM and COAS leave 4 Kabul with civil-military delegation. An unprecedented delegation filled with optimism for common peace and development with our brothers,” ISPR Director General, Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Twitter.
This will be the Prime Minister’s second visit to Afghanistan and the first after the installation of National Unity Government in Kabul. Earlier, the Prime Minister had visited Afghanistan on 30 November 2013.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will meet President Ashraf Ghani, who will also host a lunch for the Prime Minister.
Other engagements of the Prime Minister will include a meeting with the Afghan Chief Executive, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and delegation-level talks with the Afghan side.
Building close cooperative relations with Afghanistan is a high priority in Pakistan’s foreign policy and a vital component of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s vision of a “peaceful neighbourhood.”
The Prime Minister’s visit is taking place at a time when bilateral relations between the two countries are underpinned by unprecedented warmth, mutual trust and a shared vision of working in lockstep to build a peaceful and stable region.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Afghanistan would further strengthen the positive momentum in bilateral relations and help intensify common endeavours in the pursuit of durable peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
