PM Shehbaz congratulates Pezeshkian on his election as Iranian president – M Haris

• PM Shehbaz telephones Dr Pezeshkian and felicitates him on his win.
• Says Pakistan, Iran bound by shared history, faith, culture, traditions.
• Both leaders discuss regional issues, agree to continue coordination. 
  

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday conveyed his heartfelt wishes to Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, president-elect of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who recently won a runoff election prompted by the tragic death of his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan border.

According to a handout issued by the Prime Minister House, the premier telephoned Dr Pezeshkian and felicitated him on his victory in the polls. 

The polls, held on June 6, saw Pezeshkian going up against Saeed Jalili in a closely contested race to become the country’s next president. In his first remarks since being declared winner of a runoff vote, Pezeshkian said he would “extend the hand of friendship to everyone”.

“As brotherly neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Iran are bound together by shared history, faith, culture and traditions,” the PM told Dr Pezeshkian.

Extending his good wishes for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, the PM congratulated him as well as the brotherly people of Iran on the successful political transition through the democratic process.

Wishing the Iranian president-elect a successful tenure in office, the prime minister said he looked forward to working closely with him to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran relations and enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade, energy, and regional security.

PM Shehbaz added that decisions taken jointly by both countries during the historic visit of the late president Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in April 2024, had laid an excellent foundation for a mutually beneficial cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Expressing his desire to further deepen the fraternal ties between the two brotherly nations, Dr Pezeshkian thanked the premier for his felicitations.

The two leaders also discussed regional issues and agreed to continue close coordination and consultation.

The telephone conversation reflected the strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood between Pakistan and Iran, and their shared commitment to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

Dr Pezeshkian, 69, is a heart surgeon who has represented the northern city of Tabriz in parliament since 2008 and had the endorsement of his previous boss and Iran’s last reformist president Mohammad Khatami as well as ex-president Hasan Rouhani.

During the Iran-Iraq war in 1980s, Pezeshkian, a combatant and physician, was tasked with the deployment of medical teams to the front lines. He was health minister from 2001-5 in Khatami’s second term.

He lost his wife and one of his children in a car accident in 1994. Dr Pezeshkian raised his surviving two sons and a daughter alone, opting to never remarry.