Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 7, 1992

We went to the embassy in the morning. I spoke for the members of the embassy and our officials in Pakistan. I explained the importance of the cooperation between Iran and Pakistan and asked them to be careful that their work will increase the trust and honesty of the two countries. I visited the secret room. They have prepared innovative issues for reliable and immediate communication.

Mr. Syed Sajid Naqvi, the Shia leader of Pakistan came. He explained their cultural programs and asked for more help, which I promised. The embassy is newly built, large and spacious, and in terms of the number of employees, it ranks third after the United States and England. We returned to the residence.

Mr. Nawaz Sharif and Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khan came. To participate in the joint meeting of the two parliaments, we went to the Pakistan Parliament together. The speaker of the parliament said welcome and I gave a comprehensive speech without writing, which got the attention of the audience and was highly praised. Then the Prime Minister said good things in confirmation of my words and thanks to me and Iran.

The People's Party led by Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, the opposition group of the government, wanted to welcome me in the parliament, but it was not agreed, so they were angry with the parliament and the government. They did not come when the speaker of the parliament was speaking. But they came for my speech and then left and did not listen to the Prime Minister's speech. Later, we were told that one of the representatives, who is part of Sipah Sahaba, was planning to oppose our presence in the meeting, that he was arrested this morning and that he might make a noise after his release.

I asked the Speaker of the Parliament about the imprisonment of [Mr. Asif Ali Zardari], the husband of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto. He said that he is accused and requested to be released on bail, but it was not accepted. He added that he himself - the speaker of the parliament, Ayub Khan's son - was imprisoned for sixteen months during the rule of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, [father of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto].

We went to the prime minister's building for the official negotiation meeting with the prime minister and ministers. The heads of the joint commission explained and Mr. Nawaz Sharif and I emphasized the need for more cooperation. The joint agreement between the two countries was signed in our presence.

We went to Mr. Nawaz Sharif's house for lunch. After lunch we had a private meeting. Defense cooperation and Afghanistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina were discussed. After resting, we went to the opening of the Persian language research center. The land of this center was donated by Pakistan. They explained and we opened it together with Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khan. From there, we went to Shakraparia Park to plant a friendship tree. Many heads of countries have planted trees in this park. It seems that the first tree was planted by Chuen Lai from China.

After Maghrib and Isha prayers, some Sunni scholars came and gave explanations about studying Arabic literature and Islamic sciences. Then we went to the embassy. Sunni and Shia scholars came from all over Pakistan. Two Sunni scholars and Mr. Seyyed Sajid Taqwa spoke. A poet read a poem in my praise that was very common. I talked about the duties of scholars and the Islamic Union. We had dinner and returned to the palace.