ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said on Friday that Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz would travel to Afghanistan over the weekend to extend an invitation to the newly-elected Afghan president to visit Pakistan.

Mr Aziz will be visiting Kabul on Oct 19, as a special envoy of the prime minister, a spokesperson said.

“The purpose of the visit is to convey the prime minister’s formal invitation to Afghan President Mohammad Asharf Ghani Ahmadzai to visit Pakistan. The special envoy will hold talks in Afghanistan about the timing and preparations of the visit,” FO spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said.

Earlier in the day, she told the weekly media briefing that President Mamnoon Hussain had invited Presi­dent Ghani and the invitation had been accepted.

“Well, when the president of Pakistan visited Afgha­nistan to attend the inauguration of the new government, the invitations were extended and accepted,” she said.

Mr Aziz would also meet the National Security Advi­ser of Afghanistan and discuss bilateral and regional issues with him.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2014