ISLAMABAD, Aug 24: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Wednesday opened work on the construction of an additional office block at the ministry of foreign affairs.

The project is expected to be completed in 20 months at an estimated cost of Rs28.6 million and will have a total covered area of 150,000 square-feet.

Speaking on the occasion, the foreign minister said he took keen interest in the project.

He said the decision to start work on the construction of the building signified the government’s resolve to provide the foreign office with an enabling environment to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Mr Kasuri expressed the hope that with the construction of the new building, the efficiency of the ministry would further increase.

Earlier, special secretary of the ministry Sher Afgan Khan gave details of the project.

—APP