Pak-Iran ties: ‘Misconceptions lead to decreased trust’

Iranian deputy foreign minister holds interactive session on bilateral ties

KARACHI: Assumptions that are far from reality have caused a great loss to the relations between our brotherly countries, believes Muhammad Kazem Sajjadpour, the deputy foreign minister of Iran.

Sajjadpour was speaking at an interactive session on Iran-Pakistan relations organised by the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations at Marriot hotel on Thursday evening.



The session began with a minute’s silence for the Quetta blast victims.

Explaining his comment, the Iranian official clearly denied the involvement of his country in any sort of sectarian war, saying this is also one of the ‘assumptions’ that Iran is using Pakistan’s soil for a proxy war.

During the session, at one moment, the hall burst out in laughter when Sajjadpour quipped that a general is supposed to die for his country while a diplomat is supposed to lie for it.

While mentioning the building blocks of the two countries’ relations, he said the two countries have similarities in culture, tradition and linguistics. “We cannot live apart as we have been very close in the past,” he claimed.

Sajjadpour appreciated Pakistan Army’s efforts against countering terrorism in the country.

Talking about the gas pipeline project, he said Iran has completed the work on its end and now Pakistan has to start the work. There are some financial issues at Pakistan’s end, which, according to his information, will be resolved soon as a Chinese investor in interested in financing the project.



Sajjadpour also denied that [Iran’s] Chabahar port will be a competitor for Gawadar port, stressing the fact that the two countries will come closer as the ports are in proximity.

Also present on the occasion was former ambassador Shahid Amin. During his address, he said it is not often that we have such detailed discussions on Iran-Pakistan ties, adding that Pakistan has always had brotherly relations with Iran and we have many similarities that bind the two countries together. “Pakistan-Iran relations will get even stronger if the trade between the two countries increases,” he said.

Secretary-general of the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations, Ahsan Mukhtar Zubairi, pointed out that Iran was the first country to accept Pakistan as an independent state. He added that Iran has always been helpful to Pakistan in difficult times and has never turned its back on us.

“Pakistan’s role in mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia is also appreciated by the Iranian side and the two countries have come closer and now is the time when the doors are opened for the business community as well,” he suggested.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2016.