Iranian President in Pakistan on Two-Day State Visit

Iranian President Masoud Pajhwok has arrived in Pakistan on a two-day state visit. He arrived at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on Saturday (August 2) local time. Turkish media outlet Anadolu Agency reported this information in a report. He was welcomed there by former Prime Minister and head of the political party-PML-N Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The Iranian president is accompanied by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and several ministers and top-level officials. Pajhwok paid tribute to the grave of Pakistan’s national poet Allama Iqbal in Lahore. From there, he reached Islamabad. He was warmly welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Iranian president will meet President Asif Ali Zardari during the visit. The issues of strengthening bilateral relations, increasing economic ties and improving regional cooperation are expected to be important in the discussions. Pezeshkian’s visit comes at a time when Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently met in Washington. During the meeting, Dar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating dialogue between the US and Iran. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said on Friday that Islamabad is ready to play a positive role in reducing recent tensions between Iran and the US. It is worth noting that in June, Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear program, calling it an “existential threat”. At the same time, the US also bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, but later declared a ceasefire, ending the 12-day war.