Iran-Pakistani relations deepen

LAHORE, Pakistan, May 31 (UPI) -- Mahmoud Salahi, governor of Iran's largest province, Khorasan-e-Razavi, is visiting Pakistan to discuss bilateral issues.

During a banquet held in Salahi's honor, the Speaker of Pakistan's Punjabi Assembly Rana Muhammad Iqbal remarked that for Pakistan Iran is a brotherly country whose rich culture and traditions have influenced literature and languages worldwide, particularly in southern Asia, The Nation reported Tuesday.

Iqbal noted that that there was great potential for cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, animal husbandry and other sectors.

Iqbal stated that Iran has repeatedly supported Pakistan since its establishment as an independent state in 1947. Lauding Iran's current leadership, Iqbal commented that the 1979 Iranian revolution which overthrew the Pahlavi monarchy was a "unique" incident in the history of 20th century and that the subsequent Islamic revolution had changed the lives of millions of Iranians for the better, adding that the current Iranian government was poised to make further contributions to international politics.