KARACHI, Feb 10: Iranian Consul General Abbas Ali Abdollahi on Thursday called the Holy Prophet of Islam Benefactor of Humanity and said the roots of Iran’s Islamic revolution lay in the new world order ushered in by the Last Prophet (peace be upon him).

Speaking on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution, Mr Abdollahi said this year was especially auspicious because the anniversary of the revolution coincided with Rabi-ul-Awwal.

Quoting verses from Allama Iqbal, he said the Poet of the East had predicted Iran’s revolution, and asserted that the people of Pakistan and Iran were united in indissoluble links of religion and culture and were one people living in two countries.Relations between Pakistan and Iran were closer than ever before, and the volume of trade between the two countries had increased to $1.3 billion.

Over the last three decades, he said, Iran had made amazing progress in economy and technology, including nuclear technology, and had surprised the world by the resilience its people had shown. The revolution led by Imam Khomeini, he said, had stunned the world, especially thosegovernments which had the latest means of collecting information and intelligence at their disposal. The revolution, he said, had enabled Iran to break free from superpower politics and deal with all nations of the world on a footing of equality.

The consul general was lustily cheered, because he spoke in Urdu.

Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro and MQM leader Dr Sattar Farooq cut the cake.

The reception was attended by diplomats, ulema and business leaders.