ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: The foreign office announced here on Thursday that Hamid Karzai, chairman of the Afghanistan interim authority, will arrive here on Friday on an invitation of President Pervez Musharraf on his first official visit to Islamabad.

During his overnight stay in Islamabad, Mr Karzai will meet the president and hold meetings with the foreign minister and some other ministers and senior officials to discuss ways and means of fostering bilateral relations and expansion of their cooperation in a number of economic and commercial areas and exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

Islamabad has already committed a $100 million assistance over a period of five years towards the international reconstruction programme for Afghanistan.

Foreign Office spokesman making the brief statement at the press briefing recalled that Pakistan and Afghanistan has had centuries old close and warm relations. During the Afghan Jihad Pakistan had opened its doors and millions of Afghan refugees had been provided shelter and relief for years in this country.—A.H