KARACHI: Iran regards Pakistan’s security as its own security, President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday, stressing that the two countries have the potential for combating terrorism and ensuring regional security.

During a meeting with Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani in Tehran, the Iranian president said terrorism posed a major threat to the region and security was currently the most important issue. “All regional countries must cooperate with each other to fight and eliminate terrorism,” Mr Rouhani said, according to Iran’s Press TV.

Iran and Pakistan were strategically important to one another, he said and expressed Tehran’s determination to expand relations with Islamabad in science and technology, culture and energy.

Mr Rabbani, who was leading a Senate delegation to Iran to attend Mr Rouhani’s inauguration for a second presidential term, said relations between the two countries were based on religious, historical and cultural commonalities. “Pakistan will spare no effort to promote relations with Iran,” he said.

The two countries had a common stance on regional and international issues, he said and stressed the importance of bolstering cooperation in economic, security, parliamentary and energy as well as in the fight against terrorism.

Senator Rabbani thanks Tehran for stance on Kashmir

The Senate chairman also thanked Iran for its principled stand on Kashmir which was recently expressed by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the APP news agency reported, citing a press release issued on Monday.

The Kashmiri people were suffering the worst kind of torture at the hands of occupied Indian forces who were using new tactics of brutalities such as pellet guns, blinding hundreds of innocent Kashmiris as a result, Mr Rabbani informed the Iranian president.

Mr Rouhani recalled his two visits to Pakistan during the past one year and hoped that bilateral relations would continue to improve.

Other members of the Pakistani delegation included senators Mir Mohammad Yousaf Badini, Hidayat Ullah, Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi and Rahila Magsi, and Ambassador to Iran Asif Durrani.—APP

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2017