The fifth ‘Heart of Asia ─ Istanbul process’ ministerial conference began in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The conference is jointly hosted by Pakistan and Afghanistan. The theme of the conference is ‘Heart of Asia — Istanbul Process: Enhanced cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the Heart of Asia region’.
Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif jointly inaugurated the conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
President Ghani arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday to attend the conference. He was received Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at Nur Khan air base. President Ghani was presented a guard of honour and given a 21 gun salute. National anthems of both countries were played.
Army chief General Raheel Sharif was among the high-level civil, military officials present at the reception. Further, Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, National Security Adviser Lt Gen Nasser Janjua, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi were also present.
