Imran arrives in Afghanistan on maiden visit

IANS | 1 day ago

Kabul, Nov 19 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Kabul on Thursday on his first maiden visit to Afghanistan after assuming office in 2018.

On his day-long visit to the neighbouring nation, Khan is being accompanied by a high-profile delegation, including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood, DG ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood, Special Representative for Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq and other senior officials, reports The Express Tribune.

Upon arriving at the Kabul airport, the premier and his delegation were received by Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and the President's Special Representative for Pakistan Mohammad Umer Daudzai, along with senior officials.

Ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan and Embassy officials were also present.

According to a Pakistan government statement released on Wednesday, Khan's programme includes a meeting with President Ashraf Ghani, delegation-level talks, and joint a press briefing.

The Prime Minister's visit is part of regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the statement said.

President 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.

Two months ago, Ghani and Khan spoke on the phone.