Pakistan, Iran agree to boost bilateral trade to $5 bn

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani and the Iranian leadership have called for greater interaction between the parliamentarians of Iran and Pakistan and agreed to enhance the bilateral trade and achieve the target of US$5 billion set by the leadership of the two countries.

The chairman Senate thanked the Iranian leaders for their principled stand on the long-standing issue of Kashmir.Rabbani arrived in Tehran ahead of a parliamentary delegation of the Senate of Pakistan on the invitation of the Speaker of Iranian Majlis, Ali Larijani, to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of President Dr. Hassan Rouhani. The chairman Senate held bilateral meetings with Speaker Iranian Majlis Ali Larijani, who also hosted a banquet in his honour.

The chairman Senate held wide-ranging discussions with Speaker Larijani ranging from bilateral to regional issues. They called for greater interaction between the parliamentarians of the two brotherly countries. In this regard, they also agreed to enhance the bilateral trade and achieve the target of US dollar five billion set by the leadership of the two countries.

Earlier, the chairman Senate held meetings with Iranian dignitaries including Ayatollah Ahmed Jannati, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Guardian Council, Chief Justice of Iran Sadegh Larijani and Mohammad Reza Majidi, Secretary General Asian Parliamentary Assembly.

During meetings with the above Iranian dignitaries, issues of mutual interest and the current situation in the region came under discussion. It was highlighted that commonalities of history, culture and religion made Pakistan and Iran indispensable brothers who always stood by each other during difficult times. They also agreed that unity of the Muslim Ummah was essential to face the challenges of extremism and terrorism.

Referring to the Kashmir issue, the chairman Senate thanked the Iranian leadership for their principled stand on Kashmir whose people have been suffering the worst kind of human rights violations including extra-judicial killings, disappearances and blinding of youth through pellet guns by the occupation forces.

The chairman highlighted that Palestine and Kashmir were the two oldest issues on the agenda of the UN which should be resolved according to the wishes of the people.The parliamentary delegation comprises senators Mir Mohammad Yousuf Badini, Hidayatullah, Ghous Mohammad Khan Niazi and Raheela Magsi.