LAHORE: Iranian Tourism Minister Dr Ezzatollah Zarghami sees a surge in trade relations with Pakistan, claiming that a mechanism to the effect has been devised and it will be introduced to the trading community in the near future.

“I see a boom in trade ties between Iran and brotherly country Pakistan very soon as a mechanism has been prepared to remove hurdles like currency and others being faced by the businessmen across the border,” Dr Zarghami said at the Pakistan-Iran tourism forum held here on Monday.

Scores of business-to-business meetings between traders, mostly tour operators from both the countries, were held during the forum organised in collaboration with the Punjab Tourism Department.

Dr Zarghami would not elaborate on the mechanism, saying it would be revealed at an appropriate time but stressed that many trade avenues hitherto unexplored would be open to the people of two countries.

The statement comes a day after reports that Pakistan has issued a force majeure and excusing event on multi-billion Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, citing US sanctions for its inability to pursue the project.

Highlighting the depth of religious and cultural similarities between the two neighbours, Dr Zarghami said that for the last couple of days he was in Pakistan he never felt that he was in a foreign land.

He said that like Islamabad, Tehran too had been a victim of terrorism and hoped that the two neighbourly countries would jointly overcome the menace through continuous efforts. He said the number of tourists on both sides of the border would also be increased as well as the number of flights because many officials of various Iranian airline companies were accompanying him during the Pakistan visit to evaluate opportunities in this regard.

Dr Zarghami also held a one-on-one meeting with foreign affairs expert Muhammad Mehdi at the sidelines of the forum.

Punjab Tourism Secretary Asif Bilal Lodhi also spoke at the forum and highlighted the relations between the two countries and cultural and heritage attractions Punjab, particularly its capital Lahore, had for the Iranian tourists.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2023