Dhaka: The next South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit will be held in Islamabad from January 11 to 12, Bangladesh Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan announced on September 26.

The decision on the summit date was taken in New York following the meeting of SAARC Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, Khan, who returned home on September 26 after attending the UNGA, told reporters.

Replying to a question on his meeting with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha in New York, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister said that they discussed bilateral relations, specially the border issues.

Commenting on next month's general elections in Pakistan, Khan said that he was optimistic that the polls would be "free and fair". The question of Pakistan's return to Commonwealth depended on how the elections are held and how the Commonwealth poll observers report, he added.

PTI