ISLAMABAD - President Mamnoon Hussain will be visiting Afghanistan today to participate in the Nawroz Festival. The daylong visit of the President is at the invitation of his Afghan counterpart President Hamid Karzai.
Minister of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Parvaiz Rashid and senior officials will accompany the President. This will be the first visit of the President to Afghanistan since taking office. Leaders from the region, in particular from Central and West Asia, have also been invited by the Afghan government to attend the Nauroz event.
On the sidelines of the event, the President will be interacting with the other participating leaders, during which bilateral matters and regional issues of peace and security and trade and economic cooperation are expected to figure.
The President’s visit is part of Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Afghanistan in all dimensions and support efforts for durable peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
AFP adds: The visit comes after the Afghan government hinted that Pakistani intelligence may have played a role in deadly attacks in Kabul last week - a suggestion Pakistan vehemently denied.  “The President’s visit is part of the efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Afghanistan in all dimensions and support efforts for durable peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” the ministry said.