Countdown started for visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to Tehran, a major event for the two countries to address regional issues and help improve the situation in the Muslim World.
Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on April 15 that Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Iran on an official invitation by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on April 21 for a two-day official visit. This is the first visit of Imran Khan to Iran since taking office.
The Pakistani PM is heading a high-ranking delegation which consists of Finance Minister, Human Rights Minister, Maritime Minister, Minister of states Coordination, Advisers to PM for Commercial Affairs and Pakistani Expatriate, and some of the senior officials of the Islamabad government.
Approaching the time of the important trip of the leader of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI), Pakistani media, including experts in foreign and regional affairs, believe that Imran Khan is trying to work together with Iranian government to help improve the situation in the region, including strengthening the unity in the Muslim World.
Only a few months after the start of the government of Imran Khan in Pakistan, the US President Donald Trump took illegal measure in contravention of Vienna Convention of International Treaties 1969 pulled US out of 2015 Iran’s Nuclear Deal known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran; a subject that placed the region and the world in a new state of affairs. Iran's neighbors, especially Pakistan, have been monitoring these developments and expressed their concern over the unilateral measures of the Trump administration to withdraw from Iran's nuclear deal.
Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Zionist regime, the trade war with China, Trump’s inconsistent stance on disarmament with North Korean, US failed strategy for the future of Afghanistan, and the recent US decision to recognize occupation of Syria's Golan by the Zionists are among issues that Tehran and Islamabad have adopted common views and believe that the influential countries of the Muslim World including Iran and Pakistan, should stand up against Washington's such wrongful acts.
Pakistani news sources said Imran Khan will consult with Iranian high ranking officials on regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan and the issues facing the Islamic Ummah.
According to the report, the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan travels to Iran with the aim of activating mutual cooperation in particular the regional cooperation of the two countries, and consultations on the situation of the Muslim nations.
Given the recent developments in the Middle East and relations between Iran and some Persian Gulf countries, the incumbent Pakistani PM has repeatedly expressed his desire to help solve the region's problems, to play a role to prevent conflicts in the Middle East and especially to help resolve the conflict in Yemen.
Imran Khan several times offered to mediate between Tehran and Riyadh and said that he had contacted the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia about the Yemeni conflict.
With the coming in to power of the government of the Movement for Justice Party with Imran Khan as Prime Minister, the situation in Afghanistan, the tensions with India, the tightening approach of the Trump’s administration against Islamabad and suspension of Pakistan's stances regarding the developments in the Middle East, and most importantly, safeguarding Pakistan's long-standing relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran, were among key issues that Imran Khan had to make important decisions on.
Imran Khan had said in his first speech only two days after his party's leading in the general election of Pakistan that his government wanted to deepen and develop better relations with neighboring countries, including Iran.
On the other hand, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always based its foreign policy on the principle of mutual respect and refraining from interference in the affairs of other countries, and the attention paid to the expansion of relations with the neighboring countries, especially Pakistan, as a top priority for the foreign policy.
Imran Khan's visit to Tehran appears to be on track with Iran and Pakistan's governments in pursuit of their foreign policy, with more interaction in the fields of economic, political, security and energy, and in this regard, the meeting of high ranking officials of the two countries and signing upcoming contracts in various sectors, especially border and security issues, indicate an interactive and forward-looking environment for bilateral cooperation.
Senior government officials from the two countries have repeatedly visited Tehran and Islamabad and held various commissions, especially on security and defense, have strategic issues of their countries on their control and did not allow any foreign country to interfere in their affairs.
