ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will make his maiden visit to Afghanistan tomorrow (Thursday), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Wednesday. “On the invitation of President Ashraf Ghani, Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Kabul on November 19, 2020,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office said. “The prime minister’s delegation will comprise Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Adviser for Commerce and Investment, and other senior officials.”
The day-long visit to Kabul would be PM Imran’s first since assuming office in August 2018. According to the communique, the premier’s program 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 was 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,” the statement maintained.
The MoFA further added that besides Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s regular exchanges with his Afghan counterpart, there had recently been important visits from Afghanistan to Pakistan of Chairman High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Speaker Afghan Wolesi JirgaRahman Rahmani, and Commerce Minister Nisar Ahmad Ghoraini.
On August 13, 2020, the Second Review Session of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace; Solidarity (APAPPS) was held in Kabul, it added.
“As part of this process, and in the run-up to the prime minister’s forthcoming visit. Adviser 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,” it added.
The statement concluded by stating that the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan; were linked through immutable bonds of history, faith, culture, kinship, values, and traditions. The PM’s visit would help foster a stronger and multi-faceted relationship between the two brotherly countries.