Prime Minister Nawaz meets Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on sidelines of SCO summit

Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz was also present in the meeting. Reportedly, both sides discussed the bilateral relations and regional situation.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at a cultural gala held in Kazakhstan Capital Astana where the leaders are attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit. This is the first time that Modi and Sharif have met since December 2015 when the Indian PM made a sudden stopover in Lahore.

In its first-ever expansion, the SCO will grant permanent membership to both India and Pakistan. Currently, India, Iran and Pakistan are observers, a role granted to the three countries at the 2005 Astana Summit.

The SCO was founded in Shanghai in 2001 by then presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. While Russia had been backing India’s membership, China pushed for Pakistan’s induction.

Article source: http://www.suchtv.pk/pakistan/general/item/55140-prime-minister-nawaz-meets-afghan-president-ashraf-ghani-on-sidelines-of-sco-summit.html