ISLAMABAD, Apr 24 (APP/DNA): Pakistan and Iran agreed to expeditiously finalize the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and boost their bilateral trade to USD10 billion over the next five years through joint economic projects, setting up of joint border markets, economic free zones, and new border openings.

The bilateral ties and cooperations were discussed during the delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iran’s President Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi who was on an official visit to Pakistan from April 22-24, accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian, as well as other members of the cabinet and senior officials.

Agreeing to turn the common border from a ‘border of peace’ to a ‘border of prosperity’, both countries reiterated the importance of cooperation in the energy domain, including trade in electricity, power transmission lines and Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project, according to a joint statement issued by Foreign Office on the culmination of Raisi’s visit on Wednesday.

Both sides underscored the imperative of a long-term durable economic partnership and collaborative regional economic and connectivity model, particularly for socio-economic development in Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan and Pakistan’s Balochistan provinces.

The two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations, exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern, and signed multiple accords.

Pakistan and Iran reiterated their commitment and dedication to further strengthening the bilateral fraternal relations by promoting academic, cultural and tourism activities, and enhancing tourism to historic religious sites.

Both leaders reiterated the importance of forging regular cooperation and exchange of views between political, military and security officials of the two countries to combat threats such as terrorism, narcotics smuggling, human trafficking, hostage-taking, money-laundering and abduction.

For swift finalization of FTA, both sides agreed to hold the next sessions of Annual Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) and Joint Business Trade Committee (JBTC) as well as the 22nd round of the negotiations of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) soon.

They also agreed to facilitate the regular exchange of economic and technical experts, as well as delegations from chambers of commerce from both countries to intensify economic cooperation. The declaration of ‘Reemdan border point’ as an international border crossing point under TIR and the opening of the remaining two border sustenance markets was also agreed upon.

There was consensus to fully operationalize barter trade mechanisms between the two sides to facilitate economic and commercial activity, particularly under ongoing collaborative endeavours, such as border sustenance markets.

Regarding connectivity, two sides expressed satisfaction over the regular shipment of goods under the TIR Convention and agreed to fully operationalize the Convention for further efficient, speedy and barrier-free trade.

As members of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the two countries expressed firm resolve to enhance cooperation in connectivity, infrastructure development, and energy sectors and agreed to expand linkages between Gwadar and Chahbahar ports.

The two countries condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and agreed to adopt a collaborative approach to confront this menace and to leverage the existing bilateral institutional mechanisms to effectively combat and counter this threat, while fully upholding the principles of the UN Charter, particularly the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states.

Taking note of developments at regional and global levels, both sides stressed the importance of peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy to find mutually acceptable solutions to common challenges.

The two leaders highlighted the need to resolve the issue of Kashmir through dialogue and peaceful means based on the will of the people of that region, and in accordance with international law.

They expressed their strong and unequivocal condemnation of the ongoing Israeli regime’s aggression and atrocities against the Palestinian people, and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged people of Gaza, return of the displaced Palestinians, as well as ensuring accountability of the crimes being committed by the Israeli regime.

Both sides expressed satisfaction over close bilateral ties in all mechanisms of SCO and underscored the importance of early resumption of the activities of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group to coordinate efforts to maintain stability and develop economic ties in the region. They also called for active cooperation among the regional countries within the framework of ECO.

Pakistan and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to the development of Afghanistan as a peaceful, united, sovereign and independent state, free from the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking. Noting that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan posed a serious threat to regional and global security, the two sides reaffirmed their willingness to enhance cooperation on counter-terrorism and security and to develop a united front against terrorism.

President Raisi also met President Asif Ali Zardari, Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

The two sides expressed their agreement to release each others’ prisoners and take measures for their extradition based on the Treaty for the Extradition of Criminals and the Accused between Iran And Pakistan approved by the two countries in 1960 and the Agreement on the Transfer of Convicts between the two countries approved in 2016.

Both sides strongly condemned the attack on the Consular Section of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus and called it a violation of international law and the UN Charter, as well as illegal under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

Two leaders called on the UN Security Council to prevent the Israel regime from its adventurism in the region and its illegal acts attacking its neighbours and targeting foreign diplomatic facilities.

Pakistan and Iran condemned rising incidents of Islamophobia, desecration of the Holy Quran and sacred symbols in some countries, and welcomed the adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution 78/264 titled “Measures to Combat Islamophobia” in this regard and called for an early appointment of a United Nations Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia.

Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Raisi welcomed all dimensions of the cooperation between the two countries in multilateral fora including the UN, ECO, SCO, OIC, D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD),  initiatives of the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries and others.

They also expressed their agreement to start negotiations on free trade in ECO.

President Raisi paid homage to Allama Muhammad Iqbal as he visited Allama Iqbal Mausoleum in Lahore. In Karachi, he also attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Mazar-e-Quaid.

He also addressed a widely attended meeting of the business community from both sides in Karachi.

President Raisi also extended invitations to the president and the prime minister of Pakistan to pay official visits to Iran.

ISLAMABAD, APR 23 /DNA/ – Today, 100 more scholarships were covered at Al-Refah University.
following the 5000 previous scholarships for our dear Palestinian students in many different Pakistani Universities.

During the visit to Al-Refah University, As Ambassador of the State of Palestine, I was honored to sign
an agreement to provide 100 scholarships to Palestinian students, provided by the university in all its nine branches throughout the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,covering various undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (Master’s, PhD’s).

The scholarships are fully covered In addition to 50 thousand rupees for each student from the Alkhidmat Foundation for the entire period of study.

Grateful for the sisterly Pakistan for their generous and unwavering support across various humanitarian, diplomatic, political, moral, and educational sectors.

DNA

Islamabad: A full court meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Amir Farooq to give suggestions to the Supreme Court on the issue of the letter written by 6 judges of the Islamabad High Court to the Supreme Judicial Council regarding the interference of the executive in the affairs of the judiciary.

Sources said that in the meeting, the proposals of all the judges of the High Court, the two district and session judges of East and West of the federal capital were considered.

The full court session headed by Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Aamir Farooq continued for two and a half hours, in which 8 judges including 6 judges who wrote letters to the Supreme Judicial Council participated.

Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamir Farooq, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Taman Rifat Imtiaz attended the meeting.

Similarly, Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb, who did not sign the letter, also attended the meeting.

After hearing the Supreme Court’s suo moto notice, the suggestions received from all the judges were considered in the meeting held for the suggestions requested from the High Court.

According to the sources, the Islamabad High Court has unanimously decided to give an institutional response to any interference in the judiciary.

The Islamabad High Court unanimously decided to send all the proposals to the Supreme Court, no disagreement was raised on the proposal of any judge in the full court, the draft of the proposals will be prepared and sent to the Supreme Court before the scheduled date.

It should be noted that in the light of the Supreme Court orders, the High Court judges have already submitted their proposals.

Last month, six IHC judges addressed a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), highlighting alleged interference by agencies in judicial affairs, including attempts to pressure judges and conduct secret surveillance in their homes.

Dated March 25, the letter, signed by IHC Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz, outlined seven instances of such alleged interference and intimidation by intelligence officials.

The open letter, copies of which were distributed to all apex court judges, suggested the possibility of a judicial convention to discuss the interference of intelligence operatives with judicial functions and the intimidation of judges, which undermines judicial independence.

In response, the Supreme Court initiated suo motu proceedings based on the letter, soliciting input from all high court judges on the matter.

Following the Supreme Court’s directive, the IHC chief justice requested suggestions from the judges by Monday.

KARACHI, APR 23: After his engagements in Islamabad and Lahore, Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, accompanied by a delegation, arrived in Karachi on the third leg of his visit to Pakistan on Tuesday.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Governor Kamran Tessori and others noted members of the provincial cabinet extended a warm welcome to the visiting dignitaries upon their arrival at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

President Asif Ali Zardari’s daughter, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto, was also present at the airport to welcome the visiting dignitaries.

Strict security measures were in place at the airport and its surrounding areas to avoid any untoward incident.

Sources privy to the development said that besides meetings with the governor and the chief minister, the Iranian president will address members of the business forum and attend a dinner at the CM House.

Later, President Raisi visited Quaid’s mausoleum and paid his respects to the founder of Pakistan.

After visiting the Quaid’s mausoleum, the Iranian president met Sindh governor at the CM House. They discussed various issues, including matters of mutual interest during the meeting.

Both the officials agreed to increase cultural exchanges between the two countries.

“Pakistan and Iran have historical relations,” said the Sindh governor. While the Iranian president thanked Governor Tessori for the warm welcome and excellent hospitality.

Iranian president conferred honorary PhD degree

In recognition of his services for further bolstering ties between the two nations, Sindh Governor Tessori, being the chancellor of the University of Karachi, awarded an honorary degree of doctorate in philosophy (PhD) to the Iranian president.

Speaking on the occasion, the governor said: “It is an honour for the University of Karachi to confer the honourary degree on the Iranian president.”

Stressing the need for ideal relationship among the Muslim countries, the governor said that he wanted to furthering strengthen ties between Pakistan and Iran.

He invited the Iranian business community to invest in Pakistan and take advantage of favourable and business friendly environment in the country.

He wished Iranian investors to join the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) projects.

The Iranian president touched down in Islamabad on Monday on a three-day official visit from April 22 to 24. Raisi’s visit is the first by any head of state to Islamabad after the February 8 general election.

Strict security measures have been taken, including air surveillance along with temporary internet suspension during the dignitary’s movement. To avoid the consequent inconvenience to the general public, the provincial governments announced a local holiday in Lahore and Karachi.

President Raisi’s Lahore visit

Earlier today, the Iranian president arrived in Lahore where he was warmly welcomed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz at the Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Later, the visiting dignitary held separate meetings with CM Maryam and Governor Baligh Ur Rehman. The governor hosted a luncheon in honour of the distinguished guest and his delegation.

Meanwhile, the president visited the historic Government College University (GCU) and addressed the students and faculty.

Addressing the students, President Raisi said that Pakistan and Iran enjoy deep-rooted historical, religious, cultural and civilizational ties and both countries were keen to develop centres of arts and learning besides the promotion of arts and sciences.

“It was need of the hour to pay special attention to arts, sciences and technology to shine among the comity of nations.”

On Allama Iqbal, the Iranian President said the poetry of poet of the East Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal enjoys special acceptance in Iran.

He said Pakistan and Iran maintain the same stance on the issue of Palestine issue. President Raisi said Iran would further enhance its cooperation with Pakistan in the energy and other sectors.

Meanwhile, the Iranian president visited the mausoleum of national poet Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal in Lahore. He laid a floral wreath at the mausoleum and offered fateha.

President Raisi penned his admiration for Iqbal’s literary legacy in the visitors’ book.

“We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of potential risk of sanctions”

Agencies

WASHINGTON: The United States State Department Tuesday warned against the “potential risk of sanctions” in light of the business deals between Pakistan and Iran following Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi’s official visit to Pakistan.

Without mentioning Pakistan in a statement, a State Department spokesperson said: “We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions.”

The spokesperson, while commenting on Islamabad’s trade and economic ties with Washington, said US is Pakistan’s biggest export market and one of its largest investors.

“We have also been a leading investor in Pakistan for the past 20 years. Pakistan’s economic success is in both of our interest, and we look forward to continuing our partnership,” they added, stressing the significance of economic relations between both countries.

However, considering Islamabad’s closeness with Tehran amid President Raisi’s three-day visit and the bilateral agreements signed between the two nations, the spokesperson hinted towards these relations being at risk with chances of potential sanctions owing to Iran’s position in the world.

“We do not preview potential sanctions actions,” the spokesperson said and referred journalists to the Government of Pakistan for any further comment on the matter.

The State Department’s statement comes at a crucial standpoint in Pakistan’s history as it works to advance its “brotherly ties” with Iran by welcoming their president, months after their cross-border skirmishes in January.

The statement also holds significance following Iran’s standing at the global level, owing to its regional activities and recent clashes with Israel after it attacked its embassy in Damascus, killing two senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Meanwhile, both Tehran and Islamabad also signed a total of eight accords on varying subjects to enhance cooperation in the different fields including trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters with both PM Shehbaz and President Raisi witnessing the momentous occasion.

In his address during joint presser with the prime minister, the Iranian president revealed that both Pakistan and Iran have agreed to increase trade volume to $10 billion.

The signing ceremony also marked the ratification of a security cooperation agreement between the governments of both countries.