Pakistan, Iran set sights on broader bilateral engagement

Pakistan and Iran have pledged to deepen their long-standing ties across all areas of mutual cooperation, Mettis Global reported. The commitment emerged from talks in Bishkek involving Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, held on the sidelines of an SCO summit. Both sides linked the discussions to the outcomes of Pezeshkian's June trip to Pakistan.

The two leaders reviewed efforts to improve regional connectivity and contacts between people, and exchanged views on the changing situation in the region. Sharif said Pakistan would keep working for regional peace, stressing restraint, sustained diplomacy and the Islamabad MoU as the route to lasting stability. Pezeshkian praised Pakistan's diplomatic work and said Tehran wants wider cooperation across many sectors.

Sharif extended an invitation to Pezeshkian for an official visit to Pakistan at the earliest opportunity. Pezeshkian, in turn, asked Sharif to attend the ECO gathering scheduled for Tehran in December 2026. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also attended.