Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives have announced their contributions to the Saarc Covid-19 Emergency Fund, which was proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 15, to fight spread of the deadly virus under a common regional strategy.

The Saarc videoconference for thrashing out a joint strategy to combat coronavirus disease on Sunday evening saw the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani propose a common framework for telemedicine and a mechanism to ensure the flow of essential goods between the member countries among other things.

On July 7, “A Letter to the President” by renowned Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat won Best Screenplay at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Film Festival in Sri Lanka. Afghanistan’s Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mohammad Ashraf Haidari, received the award on Sadat’s behalf.