Iran's president arrives in Pakistan on first official visit

ISLAMABAD

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Pakistan on Saturday for a two-day state visit, his first since assuming office.

Pezeshkian, accompanied by a high-level delegation, landed in Lahore, provincial capital of the eastern Punjab province, where he was received by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her father, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

In Lahore, the Iranian president will visit the mausoleum of Pakistan’s national poet Allama Iqbal before proceeding to the capital Islamabad.

In the federal capital, Pezeshkian will meet his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, and hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who visited Tehran in May, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral relations, boosting economic ties, and enhancing regional cooperation.

Pezeshkian’s visit comes in the backdrop of recent diplomatic engagement between Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

During their meeting last month in Washington, Dar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan on Friday reaffirmed Islamabad’s willingness to contribute positively toward easing tensions between Iran and the US, which have risen in recent weeks due to the Iranian nuclear program.

In June, Israel attacked Iran saying its nuclear program was an existential threat. The US also bombed three Iranian nuclear sites but later announced a ceasefire, ending the 12-day war.