Major push for strong Pak-Iran economic ties

A major parliamentary push is being planned to compel Islamabad and Tehran to overcome the internal resistance in their countries to greater bilateral economic engagement and revitalising of relations, reports Dawn online.

This was disclosed by Chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee Awais Leghari. He recently visited Iran to attend a conference on whose sidelines he held discussions with Speaker of Iranian Majlis Ali Larijani, Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran Allaudin Boroujerdi and other officials.

Leghari was particularly encouraged by Iranian officials accepting his request for lifting a ban on import of kinnows from Pakistan after six years. Although the restriction has been relaxed for two months, Leghari hopes to get it permanently removed.

“A delegation of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee will visit Iran in May for talks with the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Islamic Consultative Assembly,” he said, adding that the discussions would be aimed at forging a joint strategy of the two committees for pushing their respective governments to develop economic ties. He said the intention was not only to develop recommendations but also to pursue their implementation.

The two parliamentary committees would then jointly visit Chabahar and Gwadar ports to emphasise that the two were not each other’s competitors.

Leghari, who has convened a meeting of the NA Foreign Affairs Committee on Friday for discussion on Pak-Iran ties, said he had always been encouraged by the government to work for enhancing bilateral relationship with Tehran.

Talking about the mood in Iran, Leghari said he felt a great appetite there for expanding economic ties. He, however, admitted that there were impediments to improvement in relations on both sides.