Imran to embark on maiden Afghanistan visit next week

Islamabad, Nov 16 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is set embark on his maiden trip to Afghanistan next week on the invitation of President Ashraf Ghani, according to diplomatic sources.

The exact date of the visit is yet to be announced but the Afghan Foreign Ministry confirmed that the visit would take place in the coming week, the sources told The Express Tribune.

This is Khans first visit to Kabul since he assumed office in August 2018.The visit comes at a crucial juncture as intra-Afghan talks are making little progress with continued violence in Afghanistan making the process further complicated.

The several rounds between the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators have yet to make any major headway while the violence continues to wreak havoc in the country.There have been calls for ceasefire but the Taliban have so far refused to agree on it, saying the truce would be part of the overall agreement to be reached through intra-Afghan talks.

The sources told The Express Tribune that Khan will meet President Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah, the head of Afghan High peace council, and other authorities and reiterate Pakistans support for the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.Islamabad has played a key part in brokering the ongoing peace process.