Iranian President Raisi to arrive in Pakistan on Monday: FO

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi would undertake an official visit to Pakistan from April 22 (Monday) to April 24 (Wednesday), the foreign office (FO) said on Sunday.

This would be the first visit by any head of state to Pakistan after the general elections in February 2024, the FO said.

“The Iranian president will be accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation comprising the foreign minister and other members of the cabinet, senior officials as well as a large business delegation,” the statement read.

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During the visit, President Raisi would meet the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chairman Senate and Speaker, National Assembly. He would also visit Lahore and Karachi and meet with the provincial leadership, it added.

“The two sides will have a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran ties and enhance cooperation in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, and people-to-people contacts.

“They will also discuss regional and global developments and bilateral cooperation to combat the common threat of terrorism.Pakistan and Iran enjoy strong bilateral ties anchored in history, culture and religion. This visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran relations,” the FO said.

The development comes months after a scuffle between the two countries.

In a surprising turn on January 16, Iran launched missile strikes into Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, claiming it had hit two strongholds of anti-Iran insurgent group Jaish al-Adl.

Pakistan strongly condemned the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran and the strike inside Pakistani territory which Islamabad said resulted in death of two innocent children and injured three girls.

In return, Pakistan undertook a series of specifically targeted precision military strikes against what it called terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran.

“A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a press release then.

However, the two countries soon agreed to deescalate the situation and move towards normalisation of ties.

It may be noted that the Iranian president’s visit to Pakistan comes at a crucial time when there are tensions in the Middle East due to Gaza war.