KARACHI, Jan 18: The head of the Afghan interim administration, Hamid Karzai, made a brief stopover here on Friday afternoon en route to Saudi Arabia.

At the Karachi airport, he was warmly received by the Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Maj-Gen Ahsan Ahmed (retired), and other senior officials. Karzai’s special plane, Saudia’s Boeing 737, landed at the Karachi airport at around 2.45pm.

He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, Minister for Water and Electricity Shaukat Kargar and Minister for Construction Haji Kader.

Three advisers and other officials of the Afghan interim administration also accompanied the Afghan leader.

After about 45 minutes stay at the VVIP lounge of the airport, Mr Karzai and members of his delegation left for Saudi Arabia.

After a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Hamid Karzai and the members of his delegation will leave for Tokyo to attend an international moot being attended by some 60 donor countries.—Agencies