QUETTA: The Iranian Consul General in Quetta, Hassan Darwish Vand, said on Tuesday that his country wants to start a flight operation between Quetta and Zahedan to provide better travel facilities to people.

“It is our desire to launch the air service to decrease difficulties of the people during their travel between Quetta and Zahedan,” he said during a meeting with Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali in the latter’s chamber. He said the people who travel between Quetta and Zahedan face difficulties because of the bad condition of roads.

Mr Vand said an Iranian airline has shown interest in starting flights between the two cities. He requested Mr Jamali to play his role in starting the flight operation between the two cities. “We want close coordination between the Iranian consulate and the Balochistan Assembly,” he said, urging Mr Jamali to nominate a focal person for the purpose.

Mr Vand expressed the hope that both the Pakistani and Iranian governments would jointly work for increasing bilateral trade.

Speaker Jamali said the people of Pakistan and Iran have centuries-old relations. The Muslim brotherhood between the two countries would pave the way for further improvement in their relations and meet new challenges jointly. He said a Friendship Group of the two countries would soon be formed. The aim of this group would be to establish good relations with Iran.

Speaker Jamali invited Iran to become a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and expressed Pakistan’s desire to become a part of Iran’s Chabahar project. He said a parliamentary delegation of the Balochistan Assembly visited Iran in 2014.

Speaker Jamali assured the consul general that he would soon visit Islamabad to discuss a flight operation between Quetta and Zahedan.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2022