TEHRAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed a joint press conference here today, where the need for improving cooperation in countering terrorism and improving trade relations were stressed.
He said that “We would not have needed a translator in the past. We all used to speak Persian. The court language for 600 years in the Indian subcontinent was Persian.”
The prime minister said “I came here [Iran] in 1972. I saw a big difference between the rich and the poor, a big cultural difference.” Today, he said, “Iran has become a more egalitarian society that is what the revolution has done.”
“That is what we want to do in Naya Pakistan – we want to reduce the difference between the rich and the poor,” he said.
Imran Khan said, “And the most important reason I am here is because I felt that the issue of terrorism was going to create differences between our countries, so it was important for use to resolve this issue.”
He also praised the Pakistan security agencies for tackling the issue of terrorism in Pakistan. “We are much luckier than Afghanistan in overcoming terrorism,” he said.
“We have come to the conclusion we will not allow any militant group to operate from Pakistan,” the prime minister said. It is a decision made after political consensus from within without any outside pressure, he stated.
