ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting, attended by top security and and civil officials, to discuss Pakistan’s stance on Afghanistan as the Heart of Asia Conference kicks off in Islamabad, said a statement by the PM Office.

The meeting was called to discuss and evaluate arrangements for the conference, which is being attended by top officials from ten countries, including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

The high-level meeting was attended by Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, National Security Advisor Lt Gen (r) Nasir Janjua, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi.

PM Nawaz, in his address to the conference, is expected to discuss Pakistan's policy on Afghanistan.

The prime minister consulted the army leadership and security advisers to hash out Pakistan’s stance, particularly regarding Afghanistan and India. Nawaz will be meeting Afghan President Ghani and Indian FM Swaraj during and after the conference.

The meeting focused on Pakistan's relations with its neighbours in light of recent talks and upcoming dialogue opportunities, instead of security related matters.

Lt Gen (r) Nasir Janjua also briefed the attendees about progress on the stalled NSA talks between India and Pakistan and about talks held with his Indian counterpart in Bangkok.

Later, PM Nawaz and COAS Gen Raheel Sharif met one-on-one to discuss security-related matters, said a a release by the PM Office.

The Heart of Asia conference, which will be attended by representatives from ten different countries, is being hosted by Pakistan for the first time in its history. (Monitoring Desk)