KATHMANDU: Amjad Hussain B. Sial, a senior Pakistani diplomat, assumed the office of secretary general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) here on Wednesday.

He has replaced Nepal`s Arjun Bahadur Thapa whose three-year term as Saarc secretary general expired on Tuesday.

Mr Sial is 13th secretary general of the regional bloc which was established in 1985.

This is the second time that a Pakistani diplomat has been appointed to the post.

Earlier in the mid-90s Naeem U. Hasan from Pakistan served as the sixth secretary general of Saarc.

Mr Sial is a seasoned diplomat with a career spanning over 33 years.

He has worked as ambassador to Tajikistan and Pakistan`s permanent representative to the United Nations.

Saarc comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.-APP