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  Iran does not prefer India over Pak: Envoy

Iran does not prefer India over Pak: Envoy

Published : May 28, 2016, 6:21 am IST
Updated : May 28, 2016, 6:21 am IST

Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost on Friday said his country did not prefer India over Pakistan.

Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost on Friday said his country did not prefer India over Pakistan.

Speaking at a discussion with academicians, hosted by Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), the Iranian envoy said: “Iran’s stance is clear that it never preferred any country over its neighbours, particularly Pakistan.” He said Iran’s Chabahar Harbour was not a rival to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port and stressed that both the connectivity projects were in the interest of the entire region.

The Iranian ambassador dismissed the impression that the Chabahar pact recently signed by Iran, India and Afghanistan was against any other country and said the mega project would ensure peace and tranquillity in the region.

Mr Honardoost said Chabahar agreement was not limited to three countries only and offered Pakistan and China to join it.

He said after bearing 37 years of unfair sanctions, Chabahar was a “window of international cooperation” for Iran.

He said that the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline could prove as a “jumping board” for Pakistan due to cheaper price of gas. He said that Iran, after constructing pipeline on its side with two billion dollar, was waiting for Pakistan to accelerate the project. To a question on the recent drone strike that killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour having a valid Iranian visa, he said Iran had never been a supporter of Taliban.

“We never ever allowed Taliban and other militant groups to use Iranian soil,” he said, adding that Iran openly opposed the rise of Taliban even 16 years ago.

Mr Honardoost said terrorism and drug trafficking were the major problems confronting Pakistan and Iran.

He said though the 980-km-long Pak-Iran border was safer than other borders of Pakistan and termed it a border of “peace and brotherhood”.

To a question on Iran’s security wall built along Pakistan border, he dismissed the impression that it was to restrict the flow of Balochs from both sides.

He said instead, identity cards had been issued to Baloch tribesmen to move across borders without a visa. However, he said Iran could not ignore the dangers of narcotics gangs.

Location: Pakistan, Islamabad