Pakistan-Iran Ties Enter Strongest Phase Since 1979: Former Senator

Former Pakistani minister and senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said that a new chapter in Tehran-Islamabad relations has begun with the recent series of trips by senior Iranian officials to Pakistan.

This new stage of relations is based on “mutual trust, mutual interest, and a common vision for the region, based on peace and connectivity,” according to senior Pakistani politician Mushahid Hussain Seyed, who was previously the Minister for Information and Broadcasting and the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Pakistani Senate.

“I think it’s the best phase in Pakistan-Iran camaraderie since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Relations have never been that cordial and close,” Mushahid said.

Twelve cooperation agreements covering tourism, the judiciary, agriculture, culture, technology, transportation, and industry were signed during President Masoud Pezeshkian’s August visit to Pakistan, which was hailed as a major success.

Both parties promised to resuscitate important energy and connectivity projects and increase bilateral trade to $10 billion during the visit. Additionally, President Pezeshkian was present at the business meeting between Iran and Pakistan in Islamabad, where a free trade agreement draft was approved.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf traveled to Pakistan at the beginning of November to monitor the execution of earlier agreements.

Qalibaf highlighted prospects for further bilateral commerce and cultural cooperation while underlining Pakistan’s strategic significance to Iran. He added that Pakistan’s location might act as a link between Iran and East Asia and beyond.

The visit, according to Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, is a “significant milestone” in the development of legislative and strategic relations between Tehran and Islamabad.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, recently traveled to Pakistan and had extensive discussions with senior military and political figures.