“The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will be further strengthened if Iran becomes a part of this game changing project,” Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif said during a ceremony held in Lahore to celebrate the 38th anniversary of the Iran’s revolution.
Speaking on the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif said that the revolution was a significant moment in world history and one of the few instances when a people had ousted a cruel system that was operating against their wishes.
He further added that the Iran’s progress could not be halted despite all hindrances and that this spoke volumes about the courage of the Iranian people. The chief minister quoted several verses from the poetry of Allama Iqbal, who is widely read and admired in Iran as well. “The people of Iran followed Iqbal’s philosophy of Khudi in its true essence,” he said.
Pakistan and Iran revolve can become the epitome of progress through joint efforts, he added. “Iran was the very first country in the world to accept Pakistan’s independence and we need to further strengthen our relations,” Shehbaz Sharif said.
Speaking on the occasion, Iranian Consul General in Lahore Mohammad Hossain Bani Asadi said that there were numerous commonalities between Pakistan and Iran including the religious, linguistic and cultural. “The Persian language has also strong roots in Pakistan and Pakistan’s national anthem is also in the Farsi,” he said. Both the countries have been living peacefully for last the 70 years despite the fact that both the countries share a 1000 kilometre long unmanned border. “The Iranian president has vowed to take bilateral trade up to 5 billion dollar between two countries when he visited Pakistan last year. However, this amount is not enough and we need to further expand our bilateral trade,” the Consul General said.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb has helped a lot in eliminating terrorism from Pakistan and therefore, more economic activities are taking place here, such as the CPEC,” he added. He was of the view that the CPEC would definitely be beneficial for Iran and other countries of the region. “The friends of Pakistan are the friends of Iran and similarly the enemies of Iran are the enemies of Pakistan,” the Consul General said.
He also read the poetry of Iqbal and commented that Lahore bears resemblances to Iran’s culture.
The ceremony was attended by a large number of people hailing from different parts of society, including politics, education, and business. Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal, provincial ministers Zaeem Qadri, Zakiya Shah Nawaz, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Mujataba Shuja-ur-Rehman and political party leaders were also present on the occasion.
