ISLAMABAD, March 3 (APP): Amjad Hussain B Sial assumed charge as the
13th Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) from March 1.
This is the second time that a Secretary General from Pakistan would be
leading the SAARC. Prior to this appointment, Amjad Sial served as the Special Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. He succeeds Arjun Bahadur Thapa of Nepal.
The Secretaries-General of SAARC are appointed from Member States on the
basis of the principle of rotation in alphabetical order for a period of three years
Pakistan attaches great importance to regional cooperation under the
umbrella of SAARC for promoting the welfare of the people of South Asia, improving their quality of life, accelerating economic growth, social progress and cultural development.
The appointment of Sial, an experienced career diplomat, is expected
to help revive and strengthen the SAARC process, bringing all the member states together and ensuring timely and effective implementation of programmes and activities that would benefit the region.