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By Dr Shahid Qureshi
Three US congress men wrote to the Iranian foreign minister via Iranian Interests Section based at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. US congress members Reps. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), Frank LoBiondo (R., N.J.), and Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.) wrote a letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif on 4th February 2016.
USA wrote to Iran via Pakistan embassy Iran interest Office 314984462-Iran-Response-to-Visa-Letter
The letter says transcript:
The letter says transcript:
Congress of The United States
Washington, DC 20515
April 12, 2016
Foreign Ministers Mohammad Zarif
Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Embassy of Pakistan
1250, 23rd Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Foreign Minister Zarif,
“On February 4th we traveled to the Iranian Interests section in Washington DC to hand deliver our visa applications for travel to Iran. We also submitted a letter outlining our aims, which include visits with American hostages, briefings on the ten US sailors that were held, trips to three nuclear sites, and information on Iran’s recent missile tests.
When we submitted our applications, the deputy director of the interests’ section, Abolfazl Meharabedi, informed us that we would receive a reply, though your staff missed their own self – imposed deadline for responding we have followed up several times with them, but to no avail. It has now been more than two months since we applied, and we would appreciate a decision on our application. If you reject our visa applications, please provide an explanation.
In our letter, we also requested to observe your country’s February elections, but due to your delay, we were denied this opportunity. With your claims that many moderates were elected, we imagine that there should be no problems now with our trip. However, our straightforward applications continue to be met with ridicule and delay from many Iranian leaders.
As the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Valiollah Sief, visits Washington, D.C. this week, it is clear the American Government is allowing Iranian leaders to visit the United States. Further, American and international business delegations are travelling to Iran and have obviously received visas. We trust the same courtesy will be extended to American leaders.
Sincerely,
Signed by: Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), Frank LoBiondo (R., N.J.), and Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.)
Few years ago I asked a senior Pakistani diplomat in London about Iran Interest Office established in Pakistan Embassy in Washington USA. To my surprise he completely denied existence or knowledge of any such office in the Pakistani embassy in Washington.
Keeping in view the arrest of the active Indian Raw Agent and Navy Officer Kubhushan Yadov operating an anti-Pakistan terrorist network from the Iranian port city of Chabhar have raised many eye brows in Pakistan pre dominantly a Sunni Muslim country. “Shias of Pakistan are not like Sunnis in Iran” said foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri to his Iranian counterpart. There is about 2%-3% Shia population is well integrated and active in all walks of Pakistani life and there is no divide within the communities due to inter-marriages and tolerant society.
After the arrest of the ‘Indian Monkey’, code name of Raw Agent Kulbushan Yadove and arrests of over 400 agents including 2 employees of Iranian Cultural Centre in Multan of his network have made Pakistan to review its policy as one sided love never work for long time and must be reciprocated. Pakistan must protect its all communities from abuse and becoming a tool of foreign country.
A senior analyst based in Washington said to me that: “merely by co-incident most of the Pakistani ambassadors came to USA from Pakistan like M Isphani, Abida Hussain, Sherry Rehman, Hussain Haqqani husband of Farah Isphani and others were not only pro Iran but also Shia Muslims.”
Name and Title Entered Office Left Office Comment
M.A.H. Ispahani 8 October 1948 8 February 1952
Muhammad Ali Bogra 27 February 1952 16 April 1953
Syed Amjad Ali 26 September 1953 17 September 1955
Muhammad Ali Bogra November 1955 March 1959
Aziz Ahmed 23 March 1959 July 1963
Ghulam Ahmed 19 July 1963 15 September 1966
Agha Hilaly 21 October 1966 20 October 1971
Maj Gen (R) N.A.M. Raza 22 October 1971 22 April 1972
Sultan Muhammad Khan 15 May 1972 8 December 1973
Lt Gen (R) Sahabzada Yaqub Khan 19 December 1973 3 January 1979
Sultan Muhammad Khan 13 January 1979 31 December 1980
Lt Gen Ejaz Azim 7 July 1981 15 September 1986
Jamsheed Marker 17 September 1986 30 June 1989
Air Chief Marshal (R) Zulfiqar Ali Khan 12 July 1989 15 September 1990
Najmuddin Shaikh 14 October 1990 22 November 1991
Syeda Abida Hussain 26 November 1991 24 April 1993
Maliha Lodhi 21 January 1994 30 January 1997
Riaz Khokhar 12 March 1997 7 September 1999
Tariq Fatemi 8 September 1999 16 December 1999
Maliha Lodhi 17 December 1999 4 August 2002
Ashraf Qazi 19 August 2002 6 August 2004
General (R) Jehangir Karamat 17 November 2004 3 June 2006
Maj Gen (R) Mahmud Ali Durrani 5 June 2006 9 May 2008
Husain Haqqani 28 May 2008 22 November 2011
Sherry Rehman 23 November 2011 14 May 2013 [2]
Jalil Abbas Jilani December 2013 To date
Off course Pakistan have special relationship with Iran and it was the first country that recognised Pakistan at the United Nation and Afghanistan was the only country opposed Pakistan’s UN membership. But that was during the secular and non-religious Iran prior to the Iranian revolutions. The policy of exporting revolution has damaged Iran’s relationship with many countries.
As there is a saying, ‘No one can ride on your back unless it is bent’.
(Dr Shahid Qureshi is senior analyst with BBC and editor of The London Post. He writes on security, terrorism and foreign policy. He also appears as analyst on Al-Jazeera, Press TV, MBC, Kazak TV (Kazakhstan), LBC Radio London. He was also international election observer for Kazakhstan and Pakistan . He has written a famous book “War on Terror and Siege of Pakistan” published in 2009. He wrote his MA thesis on “Political Thought of Khomeini” and visited Tehran University. He is PhD in ‘Political Psychology’ and also studied Law at a British University)
Three US congress men wrote to the Iranian foreign minister via Iranian Interests Section based at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. US congress members Reps. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), Frank LoBiondo (R., N.J.), and Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.) wrote a letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif on 4th February 2016.
USA wrote to Iran via Pakistan embassy Iran interest Office 314984462-Iran-Response-to-Visa-Letter
The letter says transcript:
The letter says transcript:
Congress of The United States
Washington, DC 20515
April 12, 2016
Foreign Ministers Mohammad Zarif
Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Embassy of Pakistan
1250, 23rd Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Foreign Minister Zarif,
“On February 4th we traveled to the Iranian Interests section in Washington DC to hand deliver our visa applications for travel to Iran. We also submitted a letter outlining our aims, which include visits with American hostages, briefings on the ten US sailors that were held, trips to three nuclear sites, and information on Iran’s recent missile tests.
When we submitted our applications, the deputy director of the interests’ section, Abolfazl Meharabedi, informed us that we would receive a reply, though your staff missed their own self – imposed deadline for responding we have followed up several times with them, but to no avail. It has now been more than two months since we applied, and we would appreciate a decision on our application. If you reject our visa applications, please provide an explanation.
In our letter, we also requested to observe your country’s February elections, but due to your delay, we were denied this opportunity. With your claims that many moderates were elected, we imagine that there should be no problems now with our trip. However, our straightforward applications continue to be met with ridicule and delay from many Iranian leaders.
As the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Valiollah Sief, visits Washington, D.C. this week, it is clear the American Government is allowing Iranian leaders to visit the United States. Further, American and international business delegations are travelling to Iran and have obviously received visas. We trust the same courtesy will be extended to American leaders.
Sincerely,
Signed by: Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), Frank LoBiondo (R., N.J.), and Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.)
Few years ago I asked a senior Pakistani diplomat in London about Iran Interest Office established in Pakistan Embassy in Washington USA. To my surprise he completely denied existence or knowledge of any such office in the Pakistani embassy in Washington.
Keeping in view the arrest of the active Indian Raw Agent and Navy Officer Kubhushan Yadov operating an anti-Pakistan terrorist network from the Iranian port city of Chabhar have raised many eye brows in Pakistan pre dominantly a Sunni Muslim country. “Shias of Pakistan are not like Sunnis in Iran” said foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri to his Iranian counterpart. There is about 2%-3% Shia population is well integrated and active in all walks of Pakistani life and there is no divide within the communities due to inter-marriages and tolerant society.
After the arrest of the ‘Indian Monkey’, code name of Raw Agent Kulbushan Yadove and arrests of over 400 agents including 2 employees of Iranian Cultural Centre in Multan of his network have made Pakistan to review its policy as one sided love never work for long time and must be reciprocated. Pakistan must protect its all communities from abuse and becoming a tool of foreign country.
A senior analyst based in Washington said to me that: “merely by co-incident most of the Pakistani ambassadors came to USA from Pakistan like M Isphani, Abida Hussain, Sherry Rehman, Hussain Haqqani husband of Farah Isphani and others were not only pro Iran but also Shia Muslims.”
Name and Title Entered Office Left Office Comment
M.A.H. Ispahani 8 October 1948 8 February 1952
Muhammad Ali Bogra 27 February 1952 16 April 1953
Syed Amjad Ali 26 September 1953 17 September 1955
Muhammad Ali Bogra November 1955 March 1959
Aziz Ahmed 23 March 1959 July 1963
Ghulam Ahmed 19 July 1963 15 September 1966
Agha Hilaly 21 October 1966 20 October 1971
Maj Gen (R) N.A.M. Raza 22 October 1971 22 April 1972
Sultan Muhammad Khan 15 May 1972 8 December 1973
Lt Gen (R) Sahabzada Yaqub Khan 19 December 1973 3 January 1979
Sultan Muhammad Khan 13 January 1979 31 December 1980
Lt Gen Ejaz Azim 7 July 1981 15 September 1986
Jamsheed Marker 17 September 1986 30 June 1989
Air Chief Marshal (R) Zulfiqar Ali Khan 12 July 1989 15 September 1990
Najmuddin Shaikh 14 October 1990 22 November 1991
Syeda Abida Hussain 26 November 1991 24 April 1993
Maliha Lodhi 21 January 1994 30 January 1997
Riaz Khokhar 12 March 1997 7 September 1999
Tariq Fatemi 8 September 1999 16 December 1999
Maliha Lodhi 17 December 1999 4 August 2002
Ashraf Qazi 19 August 2002 6 August 2004
General (R) Jehangir Karamat 17 November 2004 3 June 2006
Maj Gen (R) Mahmud Ali Durrani 5 June 2006 9 May 2008
Husain Haqqani 28 May 2008 22 November 2011
Sherry Rehman 23 November 2011 14 May 2013 [2]
Jalil Abbas Jilani December 2013 To date
Off course Pakistan have special relationship with Iran and it was the first country that recognised Pakistan at the United Nation and Afghanistan was the only country opposed Pakistan’s UN membership. But that was during the secular and non-religious Iran prior to the Iranian revolutions. The policy of exporting revolution has damaged Iran’s relationship with many countries.
As there is a saying, ‘No one can ride on your back unless it is bent’.
(Dr Shahid Qureshi is senior analyst with BBC and editor of The London Post. He writes on security, terrorism and foreign policy. He also appears as analyst on Al-Jazeera, Press TV, MBC, Kazak TV (Kazakhstan), LBC Radio London. He was also international election observer for Kazakhstan and Pakistan . He has written a famous book “War on Terror and Siege of Pakistan” published in 2009. He wrote his MA thesis on “Political Thought of Khomeini” and visited Tehran University. He is PhD in ‘Political Psychology’ and also studied Law at a British University)
