Pakistani daily hails Iran’s \'blossoming relationship\'

A Pakistani daily on Wednesday hailed the ‘blossoming relationship’ between Tehran and Islamabad in the wake of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani visit to Iran and also welcomed Iran’s announcement of $100 million dollars aid for the floods-hit people. “The (bilateral) visits tell emphatically this relationship has come out of the rough patch it had hit sadly years ago and the two brotherly nations are now well on the way to a blossoming friendship to their mutual benefit,” The Frontier Post daily said. “An eloquent testimony of this gratifying process is thankfully the prompt Iranian announcement of $100 million in aid for the relief of the flood-battered of Sindh,” the daily said in its editorial comments. The daily also praised progress on the projects of Iranian gas and power supply to Pakistan and said Islamabad is now working much more actively and energetically as these two enterprises mean so much for meeting the country’s acute energy needs. The daily called for promotion of economic activities between the two countries and lauded the intent of leadership of both countries to push up their bilateral trade to the tune of $10 billion from the existing puny $1.2 billion. “With will and resolve, they can overcome each and every impediment. And that determination both should show for ushering in a very productive and mutually-beneficial cooperative economic relationship,” the newspaper said. It said that Iran-Pakistan relationship with strong economic underpinning would naturally and automatically stream up to reinforce their political and diplomatic ties robustly. It added that both can play a decisive role for peace, security and tranquility in the region jointly, adding they can also make up a triumvirate with Afghanistan, they can use these forums bilaterally and multilaterally for advancing the cause of peace, security and stability in the region. The daily also cautioned Iran and Pakistan of the efforts by the aliens to exploit and use them, leaving them high and dry. “They have to stay where they are: as two next-door neighbours with natural affinities to each other. They must try becoming very warm, friendly neighbours, feeling each other’s pains and enjoying each other’s joys,” the editorial said