ISLAMABAD (DNA) – Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday will pay a maiden two-day official visit to Iran on an invitation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.The visit will include a brief stop-over in Mashhad ahead of bilateral talks with Iranian leadership in Tehran. Later, the PM will also call on Iranian Supreme Leader Sayed Ali Khamenei.A high-level delegation comprising of ministers for finance, human rights, maritime affairs, inter-provincial coordination, adviser on commerce, task force on energy and special assistant on overseas Pakistanis and human resources, and several senior officials are scheduled to accompany the premier during his visit.Moreover, the PM will also hold meetings with Iranian and Pakistani business community in Iran.Pakistan’s relations with Iran are marked by close historic and cultural linkages and strong people to people exchanges.Pakistan and Iran are also members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).The premier’s visit to Iran is anticipated to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.However, the talks are considered crucial amid regional tensions between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India, and the vital role that Iran could play to resolve the simmering tensions.Pakistan on Saturday demanded Iran to take a stern action against the terrorists involved in the brutal killing of 14 passengers after offloading them from the bus on the Makran Coastal Highway in Balochistan.In this regard, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) forwarded a letter of protest to the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad.”15-20 terrorists who camouflaged themselves in Frontier Corps (FC) uniform barricaded the road and stopped 3-4 buses traveling from Ormara to Gwadar on the coastal highway at Buzi Top in the dawn of April 18 and on the identification of the passengers, shot dead 14 personnel belonging to the armed forces of Pakistan. BRAS which is the alliance of three Baloch terrorist organisations have claimed responsibility for this terrorist act,” the letter stated.”After the incident, the terrorists who arrived from border region returned to that area,” it added.The letter further read, “The information about the hubs of these Baloch terrorist organisations in Iran, having training camps and logistics bases across the border, was shared with Iranian intelligence in the recent past, and on a number of occasions earlier.”Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif strongly condemned the attack and said, “Terrorists, extremists and their sponsors are terrified by close relations between Muslim states.”On April 18, 14 passengers were shot dead by terrorists at Makran Coastal Highway after forcing them to disembark from buses.
