Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – February 8, 1989

Because the Imam had a meeting, the streets [of Jamaran] were crowded. We left home late. I reached the parliament at half past nine in the morning. Mr. [Syed Mohammad] Khatami [Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance] came to arrange a meeting with the visiting ministers. Ministers of Hajj and propaganda and culture of Zimbabwe, Algeria, Sahara, Syria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gabon, etc. came. First I said something and then they all spoke and then I spoke. The negotiations were general.

Pakistani scholars came under the leadership of Syed Sajjad Naqvi. as Fajr decade in Iran. They consulted on the procedure in Pakistan. They have a problem. If they cooperate with [Mrs. Benazir] Bhutto's government, the Sunni saints accuse them of cooperating with the secular government, and if they cooperate with the Sunni scholars against the government, they are not sure that Shia will be given a place in the Sunni Islamic government. They decided to protest against the government's anti-religious actions, but actually be active in social and government affairs. It was discussed about the dynamic ijtihad that solves the problems of the time. I mentioned examples of solving society's problems in the laws after the revolution; such as Islamic banking, labor law, cooperatives, mines and punishments.

At noon, we gave lunch to the parliament staff and I spoke for them. In the evening, I had an interview with Channel One of French TV. It was a comprehensive interview. In the evening Mr. [Mohammed Javad] Irvani, Minister of [Economic Affairs and] Finance, came. He emphasized the integration of parallel ministries and reported the progress of negotiations and agreements with Russia. I did my office work until half past eight and came home.