In a first, Pakistan on March 1, 2017 succeeded in getting an official elected to the post of Secretary General for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
Pakistan was backed by all members including India. The selection was consensus based.
Election is of administrative nature only. Pakistan will provide the next secretary general making a smooth transition from Nepal to Pakistan.
The new SAARC chief is a veteran diplomat and has been waiting to take charge since March 2016.
Sial was elected as Pakistan and India both want SAARC to function efficiently.
Following the terrorist attack in Uri, India had opposed the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad in Nov 2016.
India had sent delegates including the Joint Secretary in charge of SAARC for meeting SAARC reps in February to finalise the issue of budget and admin matters.
Sial has assumed charge of the office of Secretary General of SAARC from March 1, 2017, according to a press release issued by SAARC Secretariat here.
He has succeeded Nepal's Arjun Bahadur Thapa, who was appointed the Secretary-General in 2014.
The Pakistani turn, which is held by rotation, starts from March 1, 2017, and continues till February 28, 2020.
About Amjad Hussein B. Sial: Know More- Sial's nomination was made by Pakistan at the SAARC Council of Ministers in Pokhara, Nepal, in March 2016 and was endorsed by all member states.
- He is a seasoned diplomat from Pakistan Foreign Service with over 33 years of career in the diplomatic field.
- Before joining the SAARC Secretariat Sial was Special Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
- He has a rich experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy both at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad and Missions abroad.
- Sial had served as Pakistan's ambassador to Tajikistan and permanent representative at Pakistan Mission to the UN.SAARC is an eight-member regional grouping that comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
