Islamabad, April 15 (IANS). Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is set to reach Pakistan on April 22 after tensions between Iran and Israel increased following missile and drone attacks by Tehran.
Sources said Islamabad and Tehran have agreed on matters related to President Raisi's visit. Raisi will come with a high level delegation. He will hold meetings with top officials of the Pakistan government, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the army.
The President of Iran is going to visit Pakistan after more than 300 drones and missiles were fired on Israel. He has termed this attack as a response to Israel's air attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, Syria. Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and senior commander Hadi Haj Rahimi lost their lives in the attack.
The visit also holds great significance for Pakistan, as it is coming after Tehran carried out cross-border attacks inside Pakistani territory. The attacks are claimed to have targeted anti-Iran rebel groups.
Within 24 hours, Islamabad responded to Iran's aggression with a tit-for-tat response and carried out cross-border airstrikes on the Iranian side, killing members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Iran later announced that those killed in Pakistani air strikes were non-Iranians.
It will be the first time that an Iranian president will land in Islamabad since the January air strikes. During this time, Pakistan also recalled its ambassador from Iran and said that it will not allow the Iranian ambassador to return to Pakistan.
The visit of the Iranian President becomes even more important for Pakistan, as the agenda of the visit focuses on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The President of Iran has also approved the release of Pakistanis stranded on a ship seized by Iranian forces.
Official sources say the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline will remain on the top agenda of the delegation-level meetings as both sides are actively considering completing the crucial project.
It is also believed that Iran's air attacks on Israel will also be discussed and Pakistan will call for restraint.
–IANS
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