“There has been a talk that Chabahar and Gwadar ports will compete with each other”.
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Meanwhile, talking to Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan said that Pakistan and Iran need to have a candid and “heart-to-heart discussion” not only to iron out mutual issues and forging close cooperative mutual equation, as strategic neighbours and brothers in faith, but also to restore the true strength of their relationship that transcends the governmental level and permeates to the level of people of the two countries.
Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad this evening with visiting Secretary of Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Ali Shamkhani, Sartaj said that Pakistan and Iran have agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, economy and counter-terrorism. He said a stable Afghanistan is in the best interest of both Iran and Pakistan.
The resolution came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrapped up a two-day visit to Pakistan.
The military approaches by a few countries to impose their political will on their neighbours was a measure that is in line with stoking instability and insecurity in the region, Shamkhani said.
He also expressed the hope that the ties between the two countries would further strengthen with the implementation of JCPOA.
The Prime Minster said that Pakistan and Iran are brotherly countries and share deep historic and cultural ties.
Asked whether Iran would join the USA alliance against IS, also known by its Arabic acronym Da’ish, Shamkhani said Tehran was ready to work with any country which was honest in fighting the menace of terrorism. However, he added that Da’ish was created by certain countries to further their interests. “We are agreed to effectively utilise these platforms”, he added.
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Shamkhani also praised Pakistan’s stance on Yemen. Despite intense pressure from its Gulf allies, Islamabad had refused to join the Saudi-led alliance against the Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this year. Answering a question on Kashmir issue and its solution, Admiral Ali Shamkhani said Iran wants peaceful solution to Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
