Jamali to discuss growing Indo-Iran ties with Khatami

By Shaukat Paracha

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali will take up the issue of growing Indo-Iran relations with Iranian President Muhammad Khatami during his official visit to the neighbouring Islamic country.

Mr Jamali will arrive in Tehran for a three-day official visit on October 21 and hold talks with the Iranian president the same day. Mr Khatami will give a banquet in honour of the Pakistani PM in the evening.

Sources said Mr Jamali would raise the issue of Indo-Iran ties and its implications for the future. “Both leaders will also discuss the situation in Iraq, Iran’s nuclear programme against the backdrop of the country’s negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and measures to strengthen economic relations between the two countries”, sources said.

Both sides are likely to discuss the prospects of Iran-India gas pipeline project and cooperation between the two countries in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Sources said at present, Iranian imports to Pakistan stood at $ 311 million while Pakistan exported US 100 million dollars’ worth of goods to Iran.

Sources said Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission would meet in Tehran in November to review economic cooperation. Pakistan and Iran are both trying to improve ties that were damaged during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

The Iranian president will himself lead the Iranian side, reflecting his eagerness to improve ties with Pakistan.

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