Iranian President expresses his desire to address ‘public gathering’ upon arrival in Lahore

Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi expressed his desire to address a ‘public gathering’ upon arrival in Lahore on Tuesday.

He lamented that due to unforeseen circumstances, this plan could not materialize.

“I wanted to address a public gathering in Pakistan, however, it could not be possible due to some reasons,” said President Raisi as he visited the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal in Lahore to pay his respects to the “poet of East”.

During the visit, President Raisi said that he did not feel “alienated” in Pakistan, highlighting that the people of the country have a special affinity with Iran.

Raisi said that the hearts of Pakistan and Iran will always be linked together.

Appreciating the South Asian nation for its principled stand on Gaza, Raisi said the Palestinians will be successful in the war with Israel.

“Allama Iqbal’s personality is very important for us. He gave a message on how to stand against colonialism,” the Iranian President added.

President Raisi was received by Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. upon his arrival in Lahore earlier in the day.

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Information Minister Azma Bokhari, Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Senator Pervez Rasheed, Minister for Secondary Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Suleman Rafiq, Food Minister Bilal Yasin, Industries Minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain were also present at the airport to receive the guests.

A public holiday for Tuesday has been announced in Lahore ahead of the foreign dignitaries’ visit.