Hina Khar to attend Samarkand meet on Afghanistan neighbours

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will lead the Pakistani delegation in the 4th Meeting of the Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan, which would be held in Samarkand on April 13.

“On the sidelines of the meeting, the minister of state will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of other participating delegations,” a Foreign Office press release said.

The ‘Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan’ mechanism was established in 2021 on Pakistan’s initiative with a view to evolving a regional approach to the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan hosted the first meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Neighbouring Countries on September 8, 2021, and participated in the second meeting held in Tehran in November 2021, and the third meeting held in Tunxi, China, in March 2022.

“The mechanism will contribute towards forging a consensus among the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, who are the most direct stakeholders of the situation in the war-torn country.

“Pakistan will continue to support all efforts to advance the shared objectives of a peaceful, stable, sovereign, prosperous and connected Afghanistan,” said a press release.