Iranian President to visit Pakistan ‘as per schedule’

ISLAMABAD: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Pakistan ‘as per schedule’ next week despite increasing tension in the Middle East in the wake of Tehran’s aerial attack on Israel.

The advance security team of Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi landed in Islamabad ahead of his three-day official visit to Pakistan on April 22.

According to diplomatic sources, the advance security team will assess the protection measures in place for the Iranian president, given the recent tensions between Israel and Iran.

The diplomatic sources indicated that despite potential risks, Dr Raisi has chosen not to cancel or postpone his visit to Pakistan.

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Iranian Ambassador Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam also visited the Pakistan Foreign Office and called on Additional Foreign Secretary Rahim Hayat Qureshi to discuss the current situation and arrangements for the Iranian president’s visit.

During his visit the Iranian President will also visit Lahore and Karachi

According to diplomatic sources, the visit is part of efforts by the two sides to mend ties which had briefly been strained in January, when Tehran and Islamabad carried out tit-for-tat strikes targeting militants accused of attacking each other’s security forces.

But the two sides soon agreed to work together to improve security cooperation.

The visit was announced days after Iran launched unprecedented air strikes on Israel after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.

Pakistan is among the countries that has no diplomatic relations with Israel because of the lingering issue of Palestinian statehood.

During the Iranian President’s visit to Pakistan, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is likely to be finalised.

WESTERN COUNTRIES TO CLOSELY MONITOR

With the Iran-Israel tussle and deepening Middle East crisis, the upcoming visit of the Iranian president will be followed closely by the outside world.

The US and other Western countries are seeking greater sanctions against Iran and discussing new measures to isolate Iran.

Observers believe that it is a test case for Pakistan to host the Iranian president at a time when the US and its allies are looking to corner Tehran.