Islamic Revolution Transformed Iranian Society: Analyst

Islamabad, Feb 6, IRNA – Chairman of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) said Wednesday Islamic Revolution is a revolution in real terms that has completely transformed the Iranian society. Khalid Mahmood said that self reliance and national independence were the hallmarks of the Islamic Revolution, talking to IRNA. The former ambassador added that by persisting and upholding the principles of Islamic Revolution, Iran has withered many storms and has encountered many challenges. “As we now see, gradually the world is coming to understand more and more about the real value of the Islamic Revolution,” said the analyst. Khalid Mahmood was of the view that those countries which have antithetical attitudes towards the Islamic Revolution have now compromised their positions which is a good development, which vindicates the authenticity and importance of the Islamic Revolution. He noted that Iran is a strong democratic state in which elections have been regularly taking place. “We are happy to see things happening in Iran,” he said. The former diplomat added that Iran and Pakistan have a long history of very close brotherly ties, sometimes there have been ups and down but overall the relationship remains strong. “There had been difference of approaches on some issues, like Afghanistan of nineties but the two sides have never questioned the sincerity of each other’s positions because the objective has been common,” said the expert. The chairman of the ISSI said that both Iran and Pakistan want a stable, united, prosperous and independent Afghanistan. He opined that this is time now for Iran and Pakistan to ensure that transition in Afghanistan is peaceful and peace and prosperity in the region remain untroubled. “Interaction between the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) of Iran and the ISSI is one of the efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan,” Khalid Mahmood said. “Today we have a very exhaustive review of the regional situation and international developments,” he said. “If God forbid, the things don’t go in the right direction in Afghanistan then for sure Iran and Pakistan would be more affected than any other third country, so it is incumbent on us to help peaceful transition in Afghanistan,” noted the analyst. He added that the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and enhancing bilateral trade ties were also discussed in the IPIS and ISSI dialog. “We also discussed the scourge of radicalism and sectarianism along with the causes of terrorism,” said the expert. The intellectual added that the two countriesˈ officials have been meeting regularly to evolve a common approach to various issues which confront both Iran and Pakistan./end