QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri and Deputy Governor of Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province Ali Asghar Mir Shikari have agreed to work together to curb terrorism, with the former also expressing the hope that the volume of Pak-Iran trade would increase to $10 billion per year.

The Iranian delegation, headed by Mr Shikari, called on Mr Zehri at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Quetta on Wednesday night.

Leaders of both countries agreed to join hands against terrorists in border areas while their respective border forces would exchange information regarding terrorist activities.

“Terrorists have no religion, nation or tribe as they are damaging the interests of the Muslim world by their actions,” said the chief minister.

They said that the terrorists’ hideouts would be destroyed and neither Pakistan nor Iran would allow them to use their soil. “Pakistan and Iran cannot achieve progress and prosperity until terrorism is curbed permanently,” said Mr Zehri, adding that further steps would be taken to strengthen relations between the two countries.

He stressed the need to increase trade volume between the two countries to $10bn per year. The Iranian official assured the chief minister that serious efforts would be made in this regard. The two sides subsequently agreed to prepare a memorandum of understanding to increase the trade volume.

The proposed rail link between Chah Bahar city in Iran and Gwadar and supply of 1,000MW of electricity from Iran to Pakistan were also discussed.

Chief Minister Zehri suggested declaring Chah Bahar and Gwadar sister cities, besides completing the rail link project within two years.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2016