ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a meeting on the sidelines of the 14th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on Friday exchanged views on bilateral relations and Afghan peace process.

The prime minister during his interaction with Mr Ghani reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, according to a PM Office statement.

Mr Khan underlined Pakistan’s firm support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for political settlement in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, Egypt agree to boost cooperation in several fields

President Ghani is expected to visit Pakistan in the coming weeks. His visit would provide an opportunity to further focus on political, security, economic and people-to-people aspects of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

In an interaction between PM Khan and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sisi on the sidelines of the OIC summit, the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in all fields and increase the frequency of bilateral political contacts and exchanges.

They exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international matters and the issues being faced by the Ummah were also discussed.

PM performs Umrah

Mr Khan also performed Umrah along with his wife Bushra Begum and prayed for the country’s progress and prosperity.

The PM along with his delegation comprising Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan, Tourism Minister Atif Khan, Special Assistant to PM Naeemul Haq and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood offered prayers at Masjidul Haram.

Earlier, the prime minister arri­ved at Jeddah after a brief stay at Madina where he paid respects and offered prayer at Masjid-i-Nabavi.

On his arrival at the Royal Terminal of King Abdul Aziz International Airport of Jeddah, Mr Khan was received by Mecca Governor Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a PM Office statement said.

Advice to cricketers

In a tweet, PM Khan gave a piece of his captaincy-era advice to Pakistan cricket team, asking the players to fight till last ball without fear of losing.

“Give your 100 percent, fight till the last ball and never let the fear of losing enter in your mind, influence your strategy or play,” he said as the national team played its first match of ICC World Cup with West Indies, at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, the UK.

Pakistan had won the World Cup in 1992 under the captaincy of Imran Khan, before he retired from the game and entered politics.

The cricketer-turned-politician said his advice to the Pakistan team was what he would tell his team players before a match. He also wished best to the team, saying that Pakistan’s prayers and support were with Captain Sarfaraz and the team.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2019