Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on Saturday for a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening ties between the neighbouring countries.
The Iranian president, warmly welcomed in Lahore by Punjab’s Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz, and the PML-N President, Nawaz Sharif, arrived with a distinguished entourage of senior ministers and other high-ranking officials.
He made a significant visit to the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal, where he was honored with a guard of honor by impeccably dressed personnel of the armed forces.
He offered fateha at Mazar-i-Iqbal and recorded his remarks in the visitor’s book.
The Iranian president, who is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, later arrived in the federal capital. Upon his arrival at the Nur Khan Air Base, the premier welcomed the visiting dignitary.
Taking to his X handle, the premier said: “Honored to welcome my brother, H.E. Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on his official visit to Pakistan.”
“We look forward to our substantive engagements during this important visit that will pave the way forward for stronger Pakistan-Iran ties,” he added.
President Pezeshkian optimistically anticipated elevating the vibrant bilateral trade volume between the nations to a substantial $10 billion. He passionately emphasized Iran’s keen interest in playing a dynamic role in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an integral pillar of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) vision.
‘Embracing the OBOR initiative presents Iran with an invaluable pathway to establish connections with Europe,’ he remarked, firmly adding, ‘Efforts to disrupt the Islamic solidarity binding Pakistan and Iran are bound to be unsuccessful.’
Throughout his enlightening stay, Pezeshkian is slated to engage in pivotal meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, besides engaging in comprehensive, delegation-level discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had extended an invitation to the Iranian dignitary following his visit to Iran on May 26.
As per the insights shared by Mehdi Sanai, the Political Adviser to the Iranian President, official dialogues intertwined with ‘cultural and business luminaries’ were meticulously organized for the president’s visit.
‘Political, economic, religious, and cultural horizons are all intertwined in the robust relations between the two countries,’ he articulated in an insightful X post on July 30.
Promoting inter-provincial and border alliances, alongside uplifting the trade figures beyond the current $3 billion marker, are pivotal objectives of this visit, the adviser elucidated.
Notably, Pezeshkian will be the second Iranian president to enrich Pakistan with a visit in the span of two years, following a schedule initially set for the concluding week of July.
In April 2024, Ebrahim Raisi embarked on a significant three-day official sojourn to Pakistan — tragically occurring just one month before his untimely demise in a helicopter accident.