Pakistan Governor Emphasizes Importance Of IP Project

Islamabad, April 27, IRNA -- Governor of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province emphasized the importance of the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline, saying that the project will help Pakistan overcome its energy crisis. During his visit to Iran's Consulate in Peshawar, Engineer Shaukatullah Khan said that Iran-Pakistan have always had very close ties throughout the history. Iran's Consul General in Peshawar, Hassan Darveshvand accorded a warm welcome to Governor Shaukatullah Khan upon his arrival at the consulate building. Khan during his address on the occasion lauded the efforts of Iranian Consulate officials to expand cooperation with the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He praised Iran-Pakistan's commonalities in the fields of culture, religion and geography, adding that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa people feel proud of their friendship with Iranian brothers. The governor said that former government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took many steps to bring peace and stability in Pakistani tribal areas. Expressing his views, Special Representative of the President on Tribal Areas said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is interested in having close cooperation with Iran in all sectors. He said that the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wants to establish slaughter houses in the province with the cooperation of Iran. Engineer Shaukatullah Khan welcomed the inauguration of the construction of the final phase of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project terming the project vital for the people of Pakistan. “We want barter trade with Iran,” the governor said. He said that Pakistan can export wheat to Iran. He said that chambers of commerce and industries of both countries should enhance their cooperation to boost bilateral trade. Talking to IRNA exclusively, Engineer Shaukatullah Khan said that the cooperation between Iran and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is very important. He said that authorities of the province are in touch with their Iranian counterparts for the development in the KPK province. He said that other provinces of Pakistan should also cooperate with Iran for the progress and development in Pakistan. Iranian Consul General in Peshawar, Hassan Darveshvand also speaking on the occasion said that first time in the history of Pakistan a democratic elected government has completed its tenure. ˈI congratulate Pakistani nation on this achievement and pray for the stability and prosperity of Pakistan,ˈ he said. The Iranian official expressing his views said that Iran and Pakistan share same culture and religion and tied in eternal bond of friendship. He said implementation of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project has opened new vistas of cooperation between Iran and Pakistan. Hassan Darveshvand added that exchange of high level delegations between Iran and Pakistan show the close cooperation between the two neighboring states. He said that visits of tradersˈ delegations from the two states have witnessed a substantial increase during last year. Iranian Consul General said that Iran and Pakistan can enhance their cooperation in many sectors, like higher education, archaeology, film making, tourism, mass communication and knowledge exchange programs. Hassan Darveshvand said that there is a lot of scope to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade sector. ˈIran and Pakistan can also work closely in mining sector,ˈ he opined. He said that both countries can boost their cooperation in construction of dams, energy sector and infrastructure building. The Iranian official called for bringing unity among Muslim Ummah. He said that Muslims should follow the principles of Islam for the stability of Muslim world. In conclusion, he thanked guests for attending the gathering at the consulate despite their busy schedule./end