Iranian President Raisi concludes maiden visit to Pakistan; discusses ways to combat terrorism

Islamabad: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday wrapped up his three-day maiden trip to Pakistan and had "productive" talks with the country's top leadership, including the army chief, to combat terrorism and strengthen bilateral trade ties.

Raisi's visit to Pakistan was the first by any head of state to Islamabad after the February 8 general election.

The two sides signed eight MoUs while vowing to increase trade to USD 10 billion in the coming years.

He had said Tehran was ready to exchange its prowess in industry, science, and technology with Pakistan while showing his resolve to remove trade barriers between the two neighbours.

According to the Foreign Office, the two sides held productive talks during the visit.

“The two sides held productive discussions and agreement to advance bilateral cooperation in multiple domains including in trade, connectivity, energy and people-to-people contacts,” the FO said in a statement.

Raisi arrived on Monday with a large delegation to promote ties about three months after the relationship suffered a setback due to tit-for-tat air strikes against each other, apparently to hit terrorists.

In Islamabad, he held detailed talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir focussing on key security and economic issues.

The two sides agreed to eradicate the threat of terrorism which caused a fissure in ties in January when they resorted to air strikes against alleged militant hideouts on each other's soil.

The two countries voiced their support for the people of Palestine as they demanded Israel to halt attacking Gaza.

On Tuesday in Lahore, Raisi was received by Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz. He visited the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, known in Iran as Iqbal Lahori and revered for his Persian poetry.

Raisi and Maryam had reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cultural exchanges and fostering people-to-people contacts while Governor Rehman had hosted a luncheon in honour of the president and his delegation.

The same afternoon, he left for Karachi and spent a busy day meeting officials of the Sindh provincial government. He also visited the mausoleum of former prime minister Muhammad Ali Jinnah to pay homage.

The Iranian president was also conferred an honorary PhD degree by the University of Karachi.

“Raisi said he did not feel ‘alienated’ in Pakistan, highlighting that the people of the country have a special affinity with Iran, Geo News reported.