Imran claims laid foundation of Saudi Arabia-Iran détente

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan has come out with yet another tall claim that he laid the foundation of Saudi Arabia-Iran détente.

Talking to Iranian news agency IRNA on Sunday, the former prime minister maintained that “the deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia is actually a step initiated by me (Pakistan) and amicably concluded by China.”

While congratulating Iran on the happy occasion of Nowruz, he said that being the prime minister, he paid an official visit to Iran in October 2019 with a one-point agenda to de-escalate the tensions in the region.

Imran, while terming the recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties an important development, warned against the role of Zionist regime, which is the root cause of instability in the region.

He said that China-brokered deal will have a significant impact on the region.

Imran, whose government was removed by a no-confidence motion in April 2022, warned against the role of spoilers in the region adding that the Zionist regime has always tried to isolate Iran.

He praised the role of late founder of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khomeini for reviving the cause of Palestine through the Al-Quds Day adding that the role of Islamic world was unjustified towards Palestine and Kashmir.

He regretted that unfortunately usurpers were enjoying the full support of international powers, and said that Israel wanted to divide the Muslim world by sowing the seed of discord among the Muslim countries.

The PTI chairman said that independence of Palestine is a complex challenge for the Muslim world. Expressing his views on the current situation of Pakistan, he said that the country was going through a tough economic crisis.

Imran said that the only solution of Pakistan’s political crisis is free and fair election where people are free to elect their true representatives.

Meanwhile, sources reminded that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made the first attempt for reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran way back in early 2016 when he visited Riyadh and then Tehran.

Then army chief General Raheel Sharif was also a part of his delegation that visited the two capitals.

The visit succeeded in defusing the tension between the two up to some extent. But Nawaz Sharif never made any claim on the issue, the sources added.