The Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa (CAMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Wednesday organized a special event on “76 Years of Pakistan-Iran.
Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General, ISSI; Amina Khan, Director CAMEA; H.E. Sayed Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan, H.E. Rahim Hayat Qureshi, Ambassador of Pakistan to Iran; Ehsan Khazaei, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of Iran in Pakistan; Amb. Riffat Masood, Pakistan’s Former Ambassador to Iran; Hosseini Ebrahim Khani, Senior Fellow, IPIS Tehran and Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman, BOG, ISSI. The event also included an exhibition of Iranian artifacts.
Amina Khan said that Pakistan-Iran relations were time-tested and based on bonds of brotherhood, mutual respect, and support for each other in times of difficulty. The Treaty of Friendship signed between the two countries in 1950 was a reflection of this relationship. She added that Pakistan-Iran relations were all-encompassing and that interests of the two countries converged broadly — including on the situation in Afghanistan, fight against terrorism, and relations with China in the context of regional connectivity.
Speaking on the occasion, DG ISSI Amb. Sohail Mahmood stated that while Pakistan-Iran diplomatic relations were 76 years old, the ties between the people of Pakistan and Iran went back centuries, based on immutable bonds of common faith, history and linguistic affinities. The cultural dimension was the most manifest, as could be seen in a strong Persian imprint on Pakistan’s civilizational heritage. Pakistan-Iran ties were reinforced by a shared commitment to deepen the relationship in its multiple aspects.
