PR No. 29 AMJAD HUSSAIN B. SIAL ASSUMES OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY- GENERAL OF SAARC Islamabad: March 3, 2017

Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial assumed charge as the 13th Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) from 1 March 2017.

This is the second time that a Secretary General from Pakistan would be leading the SAARC.

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 Mr. 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.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Amjad Sial served as the Special Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. He succeeds Mr. 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.

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