PM Shehbaz Sharif to kick off Central Asia tour from July 2

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for a three-day tour of two Central Asian countries from next week, ARY News reported quoting sources.

The prime minister will be accompanied by senior federal ministers.

According to sources, the prime minister will land in Tajikistan on July 2 as part of the first leg of his tour.

Shehbaz Sharif is visiting Tajikistan at the invitation of Tajik President Imam Ali Rahmanov, the sources added.

During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also meet Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirajuddin Mehruddin. He will also hold a meeting with Tajik President Imam Ali Rahmanov in Dushanbe.

In the meetings, the situation in Afghanistan, mutual engagements and promotion of trade and investment will be discussed, the sources said. Global and regional issues of mutual interest will be discussed in meetings with Tajik leaders.

Both Pakistan and Tajikistan have serious concerns over the situation in Afghanistan, the sources said, adding the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the use of Afghan territory for terrorism is a headache for both the countries.

In second leg, PM Shehbaz Sharif later will go to Kazakhstan for a two-day visit.

The prime minister will visit Kazakhstan on July 3 and 4 to participate in the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, the sources said.

The sources further said that many world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the meeting.

On the sidelines of the SCO summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to meet several world leaders.

During his visit to Kazakhstan, Shehbaz Sharif will also meet Kazakh President Kassym Jomrat Tokayev and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, the sources said.