On the occasion of the 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Iran, the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad hosted a Public Talk on March 12, 2018 by the Foreign Minister Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Mr. Mohammad Javad Zarif. Other dignitaries at the talk included: H.E. Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Deputy Chairman, Planning commission; H.E. Mr. Mehdi Honardoost, Ambassador, Islamic Republic of Iran and Mr. Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Director General (Afghanistan, Iran & Turkey), Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chairman ISSI, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood opened the proceedings by warmly welcoming the Iranian Foreign Minister, Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost and the entire Iranian entourage. In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood said, “The brotherly ties between Pakistan and Iran is an enduring reality. Pakistan shares with Iran geographical border and ties of common faith, culture and history. The centuries old fraternal bonds between the peoples of Pakistan and Iran predate the creation of Pakistan. In the pre-partition days, the Muslim League had mobilized relief assistance for the earthquake victims in the Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan. And the Muslim League under the Quaid-e-Azam had passed a resolution demanding of the Soviet Union to withdraw from the Iranian territories it had occupied.
