Daily Times

Minister for SAFRON Shehryar Khan Afridi on Sunday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan wants Muslim Ummah to stand united and Pakistan is ready to play a bridging role among the leaders of Muslim countries.

Welcoming Iran’s visiting Deputy Minister for Interior Hossein Zolfaghari, Shehryar Afridi said that Iran and Pakistan are tied in decades-long relationship of friendship and brotherhood and both countries would rise as robust economic powers. He hoped that the visit of Iranian Minister will go a long way in further cementing the bilateral relationship.

“Hosting refugees is a great privilege as Madinah had hosted Ansar. I have a dynamic team who are doing a lot to make stay of Afghan refugees comfortable in Pakistan,” said the Minister. Shehryar Afridi said that Pakistani people love lran from the core of their hearts as Iran stood by Pakistan in testing times. He said Pakistani Zaireen are looked after by Iranian authorities every year and we are indebted to Iranian authorities for it. He added that Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost is doing a lot to further strengthen bilateral relations. “We are supporting and facilitating Afghan refugees who have now been integrated with society as 68 percent refugees live out of camps and only 32 percent are in camps.”

“Prime Minister Imran Khan has allowed 1.4 million Afghan refugees to open bank accounts and join the formal economy of Pakistan and this initiative is unprecedented in human history,” said the Minister. Pakistan and Iran share same religion, language, culture, norms and hence all Pakistanis opened their doors to Afghan refugees, Afridi remarked.

“Despite involvement of some of the Afghan nationals in criminal and terrorist activities in Pakistan, Pakistan never closed its doors on Afghan refugees. It shows we are a responsible state in terms of global commitments and human values,” he added. He elaborated: with our new visa regime, Pakistan is the best destination for Iranian tourists and investors and they may visit Pakistan without any constraints. “Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to play a bridging role for Muslim Ummah as unity among Muslim states is need of the hour. I plan to visit Iran with various people from all schools of thought carrying message of peace and brotherhood,” the Minister told.

Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome, Iranian Deputy Minister for Interior said: no third party or country can create misunderstandings between two brotherly countries. There are commonalities and a shared history. We are working together with Pakistan in hosting the Afghan refugees to help resolve humanitarian issues of refugees. Hossein Zolfaghari said that both Pakistan and Iran are hosting more than three million Afghan refugees and both are spending extra funds in hosting these refugees. “We will share ideas with Pakistan. I congratulate victory of PTI and your appointment. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit was very productive. Our mutual relations have improved of late and we are more than willing to resolve border issues mutually.”