Prime Minister Imran Khan is all set to leave on a two-day official visit to Iran on Sunday (today).
According to the Foreign Office, Prime Minister Imran Khan is visiting Iran on the invitation of President Hassan Rouhani.
The visit includes a brief stop-over in Mashhad before arriving in Tehran for bilateral talks with the Iranian leadership. The prime minister will call on Iranian Supreme Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei and hold detailed consultations with President Rouhani. Imran Khan will also meet members of the Iranian and Pakistani business community in Iran.
Pakistan’s relations with Iran are marked by close historical and cultural linkages and strong people-to-people exchanges. Pakistan and Iran are also members of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The prime minister’s visit to Iran will help further boost the close relationship between the two countries.
It is worth mentioning here that before leaving for Iran, Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Quetta where he will inaugurate a housing scheme. He will also meet members of the Hazara community to condole with the families of the victims of a recent suicide blast in Quetta’s vegetable market.
Earlier on April 12, Iranian Ambassador in Islamabad Mehdi Honardoost had told a select group of journalists that Iran was awaiting PM Imran’s visit to the country. “PM Imran will be our dear guest and we are eagerly waiting for his visit. We know he is very busy these days and we expect he will visit Iran soon,” he had said.
After assuming office, the prime minister has visited Saudi Arabia, China, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey and Malaysia to improve bilateral ties and to promote Pakistan as a destination for foreign investments.