Islamabad: Amjad Hussain B. Sial, a Pakistani career diplomat, has assumed charge as the 13th secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
Sial will take over from Arjun Bahadur Thapa of Nepal, making it the second time that a Pakistani will be leading Saarc.
Saarc secretaries-general are appointed by member states on the basis of the principle of rotation in alphabetical order for a period of three years.
The regional intergovernmental organisation, founded in 1985, embraces Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The organisation promotes the development of economic and regional integration. It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.
Disputes blocking the normalisation of relations between its two major members, Pakistan and India, are seen impeding the achievement of the objectives of the grouping.
Saarc maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities, including the European Union.
