Iranian president Raisi given guard of honour at PM House

Abdullah Jan

Islamabad: President of Iran Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on Monday was given a guard of honour as he arrived here at the PM House to meet Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, along with his high-powered delegation. President Raisi landed in the federal capital earlier in the morning for a three-day official visit accompanied by his spouse and a delegation comprising ministers and businessmen.

Prime Minister Shehbaz welcomed the visiting dignitary on his arrival at the venue of the formal welcome ceremony. The national anthems of both countries were played as the Iranian president stood at the salute dais along with the prime minister. The smartly turned-out contingents of the armed forces presented a guard of honor to President Raisi. PM Sharif and President Raisi planted a sapling at the lawns of the PM House in connection with the Earth Day. Later, both the Iranian President Raisi and Prime Minister Shehbaz introduced their respective delegations to each other before proceeding for the tete-a-tete and delegation-level talks.

This marks the first visit by any head of state to Pakistan after the general elections in February 2024. As the Iranian president landed at Nur Khan Airbase, a red carpet was rolled out to accord him a warm welcome. Federal Minister for Housing and Works, the minister-in-waiting, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada received the guest. Clad in traditional attires, two children presented bouquet of flowers to the dignitary, who is accompanied by his spouse and a high level delegation comprising the foreign minister and other members of the cabinet, senior officials as well as a large business delegation.

During the three-day visit, President Raisi will meet the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chairman of Senate and Speaker of National Assembly. He will also visit Lahore and Karachi and meet with the provincial leadership. Besides discussing regional and global developments, the two sides will have a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran ties and enhance cooperation in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, and people-to-people contacts.