RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Shah­baz Sharif left for Doha, the capital of Qatar, for a two-day visit aboard a special plane from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport on Monday.

Airport sources said the chief minister was accompanied by Adviser to Prime Minister on Aviation Mohammad Shujaat Azeem and two senior government officials.

Mr Shahbaz Sharif will meet the Emir of Qatar on Tuesday.

The sources said the purpose of the chief minister’s surprise visit was not known, but it was being considered important in the prevailing situation.

Despite repeated attempts, Punjab government spokesman Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri could not be contacted. However, the Punjab Public Relations Department said in a statement issued late in night that the chief minister had reached Qatar.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2014