A couple of days ago, Islamabad hosted Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, the honourable President of Iran, and his accompanying delegation. This was Dr Pezeshkian’s first official visit to Pakistan. In April 2024, the then President Ebrahim Raisi made a three-day trip to Pakistan, receiving a warm welcome from the people and officials of the country.

Shortly after Raisi’s visit to Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Tehran to pay his respects and attend the memorial ceremony for the late President Raisi. A year later, in May of this year, Sharif visited Tehran once again to express his appreciation on Iran’s stance regarding the India-Pakistan conflict. Pezeshkian’s recent visit was also at the invitation of Shehbaz Sharif and, in effect, a reciprocal response to Sharif’s trip to Tehran.

Thus, within less than two years, top officials from Iran and Pakistan have travelled to each other’s countries four times in addition to their frequent meetings on the sidelines of major regional and international summits. These repeated meetings reflect the close ties between the two countries and underscore the importance of their relationship, particularly in the current context where the need to expand cooperation is being felt more than ever.

Iran-Pakistan relations have enjoyed relative stability in recent decades, and visits and meetings between their officials have become a common occurrence. However, what added extra significance to the President’s recent trip were the unique political circumstances and regional and global developments that have unfolded in recent months.

The outbreak of war........

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