Shiite News: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi had a special meeting with Expat Pakistani Ayatollah Hafiz Bashir Hussain Najafi in the holy city of Najaf Ashraf, Iraq. During the meeting, issues of mutual interest including the provision of facilities to the pilgrims were discussed.
Expressing his views to Ayatollah Hafiz Bashir Najafi, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Shrishi said that Pakistan and Iraq have bilateral fraternal relations based on common religious, civilization and cultural values. Every year, more than 200,000 Pakistanis visit the holy sites in Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala.
The Foreign Minister said that the Government of Pakistan was adopting a “Visitor Management Policy” to provide facilities to the visitors, which would require joint efforts by both the countries to make it effective.
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi stressed on the need for religious scholars to play a full role in promoting inter-Muslim unity and discouraging sectarianism.
Ayatollah Bashir Hussain Najafi thanked the Foreign Minister for his visit and congratulated him on the success of the diplomatic mission for peace in Palestine.
