Afghan President Ghani to begin Pakistan visit on Thursday

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is to arrive in Pakistan on Thursday on a two-day official trip on the invistatation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to a press release issued by the Foreign Office, President Ghani will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Ministers, Advisors, Senior Officials and businessmen.

During the visit, President Dr. Arif Alvi will have a meeting with President Ghani while Prime Minister Imran Khan will hold delegation-level talks.

The wide-ranging talks between the two sides would focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in diverse areas – including political, trade, economic, security, peace and reconciliation, education and people-to-people exchanges.

President Ghani will also travel to Lahore where he will participate in a business forum attended by business representatives from both countries.

This is President Ghani’s third visit to Pakistan and follows the recently held first review session of the landmark Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).

Other important bilateral exchanges in recent weeks have included the telephonic call between President Ghani and Prime Minister Imran Khan, bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of OIC Summit in Makkah, and visits of Afghan National Security Adviser and Minister for Refugees to Pakistan.

President Ghani had earlier undertaken a bilateral visit to Pakistan in November 2014 and subsequently came to attend the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process (HoA) Ministerial Conference in Islamabad in December 2015.

The people of Pakistan and Afghanistan are bound by fraternal ties reinforced by historical, religious, linguistic and cultural affinities. Closer engagement between the leaders will help foster a stronger and multi-faceted relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan.