Iftikhar Khan, advisor to the President of the FPCCI, expressed his admiration on Tuesday for the decision made by the leadership of Pakistan and Iran to restore diplomatic relations between the two brotherly countries completely. Iftikhar Khan said that within the next few days, the ambassadors of both countries will report back to their respective capitals of Tehran and Islamabad. Moreover, he informed that both nations would work to improve their cooperation and close coordination about counterterrorism and other issues of mutual importance.
In a statement issued today, the business leader said that this action on the part of the leadership of both countries is a commendable demonstration of the amount of political maturity that the leadership of both countries possesses. He went on to say that tensions were detrimental to both nations, that both economies were experiencing hardship, and that millions of people who relied on trade over the border were concerned.
Iftikhar Khan stated that millions of individuals involved in the trade between the two countries have finally been able to exhale a sigh of relief and that the prices of things that have increased due to tensions are gradually decreasing after having increased. According to him, the two countries that are geographically close to one another have maintained strong relations for generations, and tensions were not in anyone’s best interest because they would impact the entire region and the two countries.
Iran imports grain, fruit, citrus, and other products from Pakistan. In contrast, Pakistan imports petrol, LPG, leather, plastic, tiles, iron, edible oil, medicine, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and a wide variety of other items from Iran. On the other hand, he stated that if this specific commerce is made legal, it will benefit both countries. He said that the rumours about the postponement of the election due to tensions between Pakistan and Iran were hot, which caused the people to become agitated; however, the gossip has been put to rest.
It may be recalled that following Tehran’s strikes within Pakistan’s Panjgur, Balochistan, which targeted what Tehran characterised as the “headquarters” of the militant group Jaish al-Adl, which is responsible for terror acts inside Iran, tensions between the two neighbouring nations rose.
The attack prompted Islamabad to launch a series of strikes inside Iranian territory in less than forty-eight hours, targeting “hideouts” used by terrorist organisations, specifically the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front in the province of Sistan-Balochistan. However, things soon improved rapidly because of the positive attitude of the leaders of both countries.
He also praised the role of China and other friendly countries that have played a very important role in diffusing tensions through back-channel diplomacy. Iftikhar Khan said neither nation should permit the elements active in the border regions to come into contact with one another in a brotherly manner.