Pakistan to host next SAARC summit from November 9-10

From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad

Pakistan will host the 19th SAARC Summit from November 9-10 here for which invitations have been extended to the leaders of the member nations, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The foreign ministers of the regional grouping finalised the date in their council held in Pokhara in Nepal yesterday.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting in Pokhara and handed over the invitation for Modi from Nawaz Sharif to attend the summit.

“The Adviser handed over formal invitation letters from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, addressed to the Head of States/Governments of the SAARC Member States for the 19th SAARC Summit to be held on 9-10 November 2016 in Islamabad,” the Foreign Office said in a statement today.

Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to attend the SAARC summit in Pakistan since 2004 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee attended the summit and held talks with then President Pervez Musharraf.

PTI