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Enemies want to disrupt Pak-Iran ties: Zardari

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Those involved in the Iranian province Sistan-Balochistan terrorist attack are the enemies of Pakistan and Iran, who do not want relations between the two countries to flourish, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday.

Talking to Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Muhammad Najjar and his delegation, Zardari said such incidents should not be allowed to cast their shadow on the friendly relations between the two countries.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Secretary General to the President Salman Faruqui, the foreign affairs secretary, interior secretary and other senior officials apart from Iranian ambassador in Pakistan Mashallah Shakeri, were also present. The president said terrorism was the enemy of the entire region, and added that a joint strategy should be devised to curb the menace.

Offering sympathies to the Iranian government and the people on the loss of life in the Sistan-Balochistan attack, he promised the delegation that Pakistan would extend all possible cooperation to help track down and punish the terrorists behind the attack. Zardari stressed more coordinated intelligence cooperation between the two sides to forestall the efforts of the elements who sought to create misgivings between the two countries.

He expressed hope that bilateral cooperative projects would continue as before and would not be affected by the attack. Appreciating Iran’s contribution of $330 million at the Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum, the president said Islamabad valued its close ties with Iran.

Later, Malik saw the Iranian interior minister off to at the Chaklala Airbase. Talking to reporters at the airbase, the interior minister said Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used against Iran.

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