ISLAMABAD: The Iranian president’s political adviser said on Wednesday that Dr Masoud Pezeshkian was due to visit Pakistan on August 2 (Saturday) for a two-day trip, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported.
Pezeshkian will be the second Iranian president to visit Pakistan in as many years. The visit was initially planned for the last week of July.
In April 2024, Ebrahim Raisi undertook a three-day official visit to Pakistan. During the trip — which took place a month before Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash — the foreign dignitary also visited Lahore and Karachi.
In a post on X, Political Adviser to the Iranian President Mehdi Sanai said Dr Pezeshkian would travel to Pakistan on Saturday at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He said official meetings and discussions with “cultural and commercial elites” were on the agenda.
“The relations between the two countries encompass political, economic, religious and cultural dimensions, and the goals of the trip include developing provincial and border cooperation and increasing trade exchanges from the current $3 billion.”
The Foreign Office has been reached out to for a response on the matter.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar previously said that President Pezeshkian would “soon” make an official visit to Islamabad, IRNA reported.
Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of his visit to New York, FM Dar had said Pezeshkian was scheduled to visit Pakistan and expressed hope the trip would take place in early August.
“Pakistan supports diplomacy and a wise approach in the region and welcomes all efforts toward de-escalation and dialogue with Iran,” he was quoted as saying.
He said that he was in close contact with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, adding that Pakistan could not remain silent regarding recent events, including the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Dar had condemned the Israeli regime’s aggression against Iran and the United States’ attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “Diplomacy and dialogue are the only way out of the current situation, and Pakistan will continue to support both sides,” he had added.
PM Shehbaz visited Iran on May 27 as part of his regional tour to friendly countries aimed at expressing gratitude for their support during the conflict with India. He met Iranian leaders, including President Pezeshkian, to strengthen ties and deepen regional cooperation.
He had previously visited Iran in May 2024 to attend the memorial ceremony of former president Raisi and met Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
