
Iran’s president on a visit to Pakistan for that purpose
Last Updated on April 23, 2024 2:16 am
Iran’s President Ibrahim Raisi has visited the neighboring country Pakistan amid ongoing tensions with Israel.
He reached Islamabad on Monday (April 22) morning local time.
Raisi is the first foreign head of state to visit Pakistan since the general elections in February this year. Pakistan’s Housing and Works Minister Mia Riaz Hussain Peerzada welcomed the Iranian president at Noor Khan Airport in the morning.
Meanwhile, various discussions have started in the international arena about Raisi’s three-day visit to Pakistan during the Israel-Iran crisis.
The topic came up in an analytical article of the international news media Al-Jazeera. It has been said that the leaders of the two countries will strengthen their bilateral relations during this visit. Besides, they will discuss to increase cooperation in various fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture and people-to-people communication. They will also discuss regional and global development and bilateral cooperation to combat the threat of terrorism. However, Islamabad is not in an economic and political position to play an active role in de-escalating tensions in the Middle East, including the Iran-Israel crisis.
Earlier, on April 14, a day after Iran’s attack on Israel, Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued a statement calling for de-escalation. The statement referred to the incidents as “a consequence of diplomatic failure”.
The ministry’s statement said, “The UN Security Council’s indifference to resolve the crisis and maintain international peace and security has exacerbated the crisis.” Islamabad stressed the need for international efforts to resolve the Middle East crisis and cease-fire in Gaza.
The statement added that now it is very important to stabilize the situation and restore peace. We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
Meanwhile, Pakistan does not recognize Israel, and Islamabad has no direct line of communication with Tel Aviv.
In recent years, there has been increasing pressure from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on Pakistan to change its Palestinian policy. But there is no indication that Pakistan will change its mind under such pressure. Musharraf Zaidi, advisor to the consulting firm Tabdlab and former advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, gave such an opinion.
On the first day of the visit, President Raisi met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. A guard of honor is given to the visiting dignitaries when they reach the Prime Minister House. At this time, Shehbaz Sharif praised Iran’s brave role in the issue of human rights in Gaza. Along with that, he called upon the countries of the Muslim world to work together to end the violence in the Middle East.
President Raisi is also scheduled to meet Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.
Incidentally, in January of this year, the tension between Iran and Pakistan reached its peak. However, these two countries, the most powerful countries in the Muslim world, have established relations through diplomacy. It is believed that the visit of Ibrahim Raisi will further improve the relations between the two countries after the new government of Pakistan takes over.
After his visit to Pakistan, Raisi will go to the country’s capital Colombo on a one-day visit at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday (April 24). During this visit, Ranil Wickremesinghe will inaugurate two dams and a hydropower project along with the President of Iran. The nearly $530 million project was built by Iranian experts.