Iran President Ibrahim Raisi To Visit Pakistan On Monday, To Meet Shehbaz, Zardari

The Pakistan government on Sunday announced that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Islamabad in a two-day trip where he will meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Earlier, Pakistani broadcaster GeoNews had reported that Raisi will be in Pakistan for a visit.

This is the first time a head of state has visited Pakistan following the February 2024 elections, which were conducted among widespread allegations of rigging and clamping down on civil rights.

“President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi will undertake an official visit to Pakistan from 22 to 24 April 2024. This will be the first visit by any Head of State to Pakistan after the general elections in February 2024,” the press release by the Pakistan ministry of foreign affairs said.

“The Iranian President will be accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation comprising the Foreign Minister and other members of the cabinet, senior officials as well as a large business delegation,” it further added.

The broadcaster, earlier this week, citing an unnamed official said a high-level delegation will accompany Raisi who will hold a meeting with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistan Army leadership.

The announcement of his visit comes two days after Iran launched a series of strikes on Israel, marking the first time that Iran has launched a strike on its arch-enemy, as a retaliation for its strike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The attack killed Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) senior commanders Mohammed Reza Zahedi and senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

The development also comes shortly after Iran said they would release Pakistanis stranded aboard MSC Aries which was seized by the Iranian forces.

MSC Aries is a Portuguese-flagged container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commandos have taken over the vessel and have kept it in Iranian waters.

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles along with its proxies towards Israel. Israel thwarted the attack using its aerial defence system.

The visit could also be part of efforts by Tehran and Islamabad to deepen their ties after Iran carried out cross-border airstrikes striking what it called anti-Iran elements across the border.

Iran said it eliminated Jaish-al-Adl’s bases inside Pakistan in January when it carried out cross-border strikes. Missiles and drones were used in the attack on Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group which largely operates across the border in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Pakistan also carried out airstrikes claiming it eliminated terrorists who posed a threat to Pakistan inside Iranian territory.

The ties between both nations deteriorated and Islamabad even withdrew its ambassador from Iran. Pakistan also threatened that it would not allow the Iranian envoy to Pakistan to return to Tehran as a gesture of protest because Iran allegedly breached its sovereignty.

The two nations, however, quickly restored diplomatic ties and envoys returned to their respective duties.

The broadcaster said that Raisi and his delegation will discuss bilateral ties, security cooperation, gas pipeline and potential free trade agreement (FTA) when they visit Islamabad.

It should be noted that Iran has threatened to take Pakistan to an international arbitration court for not undertaking the works it was supposed to under the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline agreement.

Pakistan is caught in a tough spot after Iran issued a third notice to Pakistan in January where it said it intends to go to arbitration court for not laying the pipeline as part of the Iran-Pakistan gas line project.

Iran has threatened Pakistan with a fine of $18 billion for breach of contract in the international arbitration court. The project has been facing delays since 2014 after being announced in 2009. The target deadline was 2015. Iran has also completed the laying of a 900-kilometre pipeline.