Pakistani leaders congratulate Masoud Pezeshkian on Iranian presidential election victory
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday congratulated Massoud Pezeshkian on being elected President of Iran.
Reformist candidate Pezeshkian, who promised to work with Western countries and ease enforcement of the country’s compulsory headscarf law, won Iran’s presidential runoff election on Saturday, defeating Saeed Jalili.
Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, won Friday’s election with 16.3 million votes to Djalili’s 13.5 million, according to results released by authorities.
Sharif congratulated Pezeshkian on his appointment and said he looked forward to working closely with the president-elect to further strengthen bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran and promote peace and stability in the region.
“As neighbours, Pakistan and Iran enjoy close and historic ties. We must ensure a bright future for our peoples through mutually beneficial cooperation,” the Pakistani prime minister said.
In a separate statement, President Zardari congratulated Pezechkian and expressed confidence that Pakistan-Iran ties would become even stronger under his leadership.
“Pakistan looks forward to working with Iran for peace and prosperity in the region,” Zardari said.
On Saturday, Mr Pezeshkian’s supporters took to the streets of Tehran and other cities before dawn, celebrating his widening lead over Mr Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator.
But Pezeshkian’s victory marks what remains a delicate moment for Iran amid rising tensions in the Middle East over Israel’s Gaza war, developments in Iran’s nuclear program and looming U.S. presidential elections that could jeopardize any potential detente between Tehran and Washington.
