ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: Afghan President Hamid Karzai will attend the oath-taking ceremony of president-elect Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday.

“The Pakistani president invited him to take part in the oath-taking ceremony to be held in Islamabad soon”, and Mr Karzai has accepted the invitation, a TV channel quoted a statement of the Afghan government official as saying.

According to the official, President Karzai expressed the hope that relations between the two countries would improve.—APP

Our Reporter adds: Cabinet division secretary Ghiasuddin told Dawn that the ceremony would be held at 1pm on Tuesday at the Aiwan-i-Sadr.

Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar will administer the oath.The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, three services chiefs, governors and chief ministers of the provinces, federal ministers, senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party, representatives of other parties in parliament and diplomats are expected to attend the ceremony.

The cabinet division geared up for the ceremony after receiving Election Commission’s notification of Mr Zardari’s success in the presidential polls.

“A copy of the notification was delivered at the residence of the secretary of the cabinet division on Monday night,” Election Commission secretary Kanwar Mohammad Dilshad said.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the ceremony had been scheduled for Tuesday because it involved considerable arrangements. “Invitation cards are to be sent to guests and the list of guests is yet to be finalised.”

When asked if the ceremony was being delayed so that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari could also attend it, he said: “I can say nothing as I do not know Mr Bilawal Bhutto’s programme.” The president-elect’s daughters Bakhtawar and Asifa are already here.

However, a source in the PPP claimed that the date had been set because nine was Mr Zardari’s lucky number and Tuesday is 9/9.