AGENCY: Afghanistan Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), Abdullah Abdullah, is slated to visit Pakistan on Monday on a three-day official visit to discuss the Afghan peace process.
According to a press release issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office on Sunday, Abdullah will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including prominent members of the council, The Geo News reported. The visit to Pakistan, which recently had hosted Taliban high-level delegation, comes at a time when the Taliban and the Afghan government are in the midst of intra-Afghan peace talks that began earlier this month in Doha, Qatar.
The occasion will mark Abdullah’s first visit to Pakistan in his capacity as chairman of the council. During the visit, the Afghan leader will call on President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He will also interact with the Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaisar, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other dignitaries, the statement said.
“Dr Abdullah would also deliver a key-note address at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad,” the statement added. His engagements will include interaction with the media.
“The visit will provide an opportunity for the wide-ranging exchange of views on the Afghan peace process and strengthening of Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations and people-to-people interaction,” the Foreign Office’s press release said.
Even though peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are still ongoing, clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces have been reported.
