Pakistan key player in regional peace, says Iranian diplomat

PESHAWAR: Iranian Consul General Muhammad Bagher Beigi has said the Trump administration has taken U-turn and acknowledged the role of Pakistan as a key to regional peace.

The Iranian diplomat also urged Pakistan’s leaders to show seriousness in quelling the factors impeding friendly relations with his country to take full advantage of the potentials offered by Iran.

Muhammad Bagher Beigi, who was speaking at evening tea he arranged in the Iranian Consulate on Wednesday for the newly-elected cabinet of the Peshawar Press Club, Video Journalists Forum and Sports Writers Association and other journalists, said that President Trump and US administration strived to intimidate and pressure Pakistan over the last one year or so, but ultimate they took a U-turn and accepted that the role of Pakistan for the regional peace was vital. The function was arranged in connection with the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution where Peshawar Press Club President Syed Bukhar Shah and Ijaz Khan of the sports writers body also spoke.

Beigi said President Trump and US administration had acknowledged that only Pakistan and other regional countries could play a vital role to ensure peace in the region and resolve the regional issues.

He added that the US had also been hatching conspiracies against the democratic revolution in Iran and it (the US) tried to put the Iranian people in trouble and pressure them. But it failed to hoodwink the Iranian people who foiled these conspiracies and they are now celebrating the 40th year of their revolution, the consul general maintained.

“I want to tell you that all the strategies of the US against Iran over the last 40 years have badly failed and the same will fail in the future too, God willing!” Beigi hoped. He said that Iran had always welcomed suggestions and proposals for the peace and cooperation in the region. The manifestation of the same was the speaker conference of the six regional countries, which was proposed by Pakistan to fight terrorism. The first of the conferences was hosted by Pakistan, while the following one was held in Iran to promote peace and cooperation in the region.

Beigi said they attached immense importance to relations with Pakistan and other neighbouring countries with which Iran shares culture, civilisation and values. Its main example remains the three visits of Iranian leader Hassan Rohan to Pakistan in the last three years, while foreign minister Jawad Zarif has also made various trips to Pakistan, Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and other political, civil and army leaders came here to shore up mutual ties. To a question, he said that Iran wanted to offer its potential in so many areas where Pakistan is in real need of help.

“We have always desired to have good economic ties with Pakistan and worked with all political parties in power, including Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party and now Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the economic development of the country,” he added.

He made particular mention of the railway link, ferry services between Gawadar and Chahbahar, etc. Similarly, he said Iran is ready to provide up to 3,000 megawatts electricity to Pakistan and it is also ready to help Pakistan build a transmission line from Taftan to Quetta for the same.

He, however, asked Pakistan leadership to exhibit seriousness to remove hurdles in this regards and the main of these hurdles is the absence of banking transactions between the two countries.

“You know better as to what factors are impeding the efforts aimed at bringing the two brotherly countries closer. Keeping in view the benefit of its own people, the Pakistani leadership has to overcome these factors to take full advantage of the potentials both the countries offer for each other.