Iranian President lands in Pakistan on two-day official visit

ISLAMABAD: President of Iran 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 — who was welcomed in Lahore by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif — is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including senior ministers and other high-ranking officials.

He paid a visit to the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal where he received a guard of honour from smartly turned-out 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.

During his stay, the Iranian president will meet his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari and hold delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran ahead of his departure, Pezeshkian — who has embarked on his first official visit to Pakistan as president — had said the purpose of the visit was to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.

“The objective of this trip is to boost commercial and economic ties,” he stated. The Iranian president added that matters related to border security and regional peace would also be discussed during the visit.

“We believe that cross-border markets and connectivity can open new avenues for mutual cooperation,” he remarked.

President Pezeshkian further expressed hope that bilateral trade volume could be raised to $10 billion. He also highlighted Iran’s interest in active participation in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key component of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative.

“The OBOR project offers Iran an opportunity to connect with Europe,” he noted, adding: “Attempts to undermine the Islamic unity between Pakistan and Iran will fail.”

During his stay, Pezeshkian will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, and hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who last visited Iran on May 26 and invited the Iranian official to visit Pakistan.

According to the Political Adviser to the Iranian President, Mehdi Sanai, official meetings and discussions with “cultural and business elites” were planned during the president’s visit.

“The relations between the two countries encompass political, economic, religious, and cultural dimensions,” he had said in a X post on July 30.

The development of provincial and border cooperation, as well as increasing trade from the current $3 billion, are among the objectives of the visit, the adviser concluded.

Pezeshkian will be the second Iranian president to visit Pakistan within two years. The visit was originally scheduled for the final week of July.

In April 2024, Ebrahim Raisi paid a three-day official visit to Pakistan — just a month before his death in a helicopter crash.