Conference of Pakistani envoys begins in Islamabad

Islamabad, Aug 1 (IANS) Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Monday kicked off a three-day conference of its envoys based in various countries, including India. The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Apart from High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, Ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani, Ambassador to China Masood Khalid, UN (New York) Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, Ambassador to Austria Ayesha Riyaz, Ambassador to the European Union Naghmana Hashmi, Ambassador to Afghanistan Abrar Hussain, Ambassador to UN (Geneva) Tehmina Janjua and Ambassador to Russia Qazi Khalilullah are among the participants.

According to a statement from the foreign office, Sharif will express his vision for regional and global peace during the meeting.

The Envoys' Conference is a regular feature in which Pakistan's representatives in various regions brief the government on important developments in their areas of accreditation, and challenges and opportunities arising out of such developments, it said.

Last year's Envoys' Conference focused on connectivity, and regional issues and developments.