Iran’s president holds talks with Pakistani premier after arrival in Islamabad for a 3-day visit

By MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials say Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif soon after arriving in the capital, Islamabad, for a three-day visit. The visit which began Monday is part of efforts by Islamabad and Tehran to mend ties which had briefly been strained in January, when the two sides carried out tit-for-tat strikes targeting militants accused of attacking their security forces. According to a statement released by the premier’s office, the two leaders discussed a range of issues to promote bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields and vowed to cooperate to fight terrorism. The two sides will also discuss the multi-billion gas pipeline project, on hold since 2014, and is opposed by Washington.