SCO summit sidelines: Mamnoon meets Ghani in Tashkent

President reiterates Pakistan’s desire for lasting peace in Afghanistan

TASHKENT: President Mamnoon Hussain met his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani at the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tashkent on Friday.

According to an official statement, the two leaders discussed ways of strengthening bilateral relations as well as efforts for bringing long term peace and stability to Afghanistan.

Mamnoon reiterated Pakistan’s desire for lasting peace in Afghanistan and deepening of bilateral ties. He said a stable and prosperous Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s interest and added that a politically negotiated settlement was a viable option for lasting peace.

The two leaders also emphasised the need for close cooperation in fighting terrorism

Earlier, while addressing the SCO Council of Head of States, Mamnoon called terrorism ‘the greatest challenge for Pakistan’ and said becoming a full member of the SCO would enable the country fight the menace more effectively.

“We believe that the SCO provides the right security overhang under which we can fight this menace,” he said. Mamnoon also met his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov on the sidelines of the SCO summit on Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2016.