Raja Furqan Ahmed
Islamabad :Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Kabul on Thursday to meet President Ashraf Ghani, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
This is the Prime Minister’s first visit to Afghanistan since assuming office. The Prime Minister’s delegation includes Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Adviser for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, and senior officials, the statement stated.
The Prime Minister’s programme includes tete-e-tete with President Ashraf Ghani, delegation-level talks, and joint press stake-out. The focus would be on further deepening the fraternal bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Afghan peace process, and regional economic development and connectivity. The Prime Minister’s visit is part of regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
President Ashraf Ghani had last visited Pakistan in June 2019. Earlier, the two leaders had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 14th OIC Summit in Makkah in May 2019. The Prime Minister also had a telephonic conversation with President Ashraf Ghani in September 2020.
“The Prime Minister’s visit builds on the sustained engagement between the two countries in recent months for enhancing bilateral cooperation in diverse fields,” according to the foreign office.
Earlier, Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmed Khan said in his tweet: “Prime Minister Imran Khan visiting Kabul tomorrow (Thursday) for meeting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to discuss strengthening of bilateral ties.”
Previously, Chairman High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Dr Abdullah Abdullah came to Pakistan for a three-day visit. Speaker Afghan Wolesi Jirga Rahman Rahmani and Commerce Minister Nisar Ahmad Ghoraini also visit Pakistan. On 31 August 2020, the Second Review Session of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) was held in Kabul. PM’s Adviser for Commerce and Investment Razaq Dawood visited Kabul on 16-18 November 2020 and held in-depth discussions on bilateral trade and investment ties and matters related to transit trade.
The Prime Minister’s programme includes tete-e-tete with President Ashraf Ghani, delegation-level talks, and joint press stake-out. The focus would be on further deepening the fraternal bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Afghan peace process, and regional economic development and connectivity. The Prime Minister’s visit is part of regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
President Ashraf Ghani had last visited Pakistan in June 2019. Earlier, the two leaders had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 14th OIC Summit in Makkah in May 2019. The Prime Minister also had a telephonic conversation with President Ashraf Ghani in September 2020.
“The Prime Minister’s visit builds on the sustained engagement between the two countries in recent months for enhancing bilateral cooperation in diverse fields,” according to the foreign office.
Earlier, Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmed Khan said in his tweet: “Prime Minister Imran Khan visiting Kabul tomorrow (Thursday) for meeting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to discuss strengthening of bilateral ties.”
Previously, Chairman High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Dr Abdullah Abdullah came to Pakistan for a three-day visit. Speaker Afghan Wolesi Jirga Rahman Rahmani and Commerce Minister Nisar Ahmad Ghoraini also visit Pakistan. On 31 August 2020, the Second Review Session of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) was held in Kabul. PM’s Adviser for Commerce and Investment Razaq Dawood visited Kabul on 16-18 November 2020 and held in-depth discussions on bilateral trade and investment ties and matters related to transit trade.