ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday emphasised the need for closer coordination between Pakistan and Iran on efforts for peace in Afghanistan.

He was talking to Iran’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ebrahim Taherian Fard, who is on a two-day visit to Pakistan.

During the meeting, accor­ding to the Foreign Office, “views were excha­nged on the Afghan peace process, regional security and issues of mutual interest”.

The foreign minister noted that both Pakistan and Iran had suffered from instability in Afghanistan.

Both Pakistan and Iran have strong religious and cultural ties with Afghanistan, besides hosting a large number of Afghan refugees. Moreover, they share long borders with the war-ravaged country and have influential contacts there. Therefore, the two countries have convergent interests in Afghanistan.

Islamabad and Tehran have been coordinating on Afghanistan for some time, but that has not received much attention.

Mr Fard visited Pakistan last year along with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and later Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Amba­s­sador Mohammad Sadiq travelled to Iran.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2021