BY Salman Rasool AShrif
May God Almighty further enhance the honor of Pakistan. The tireless and sincere efforts of the Pakistani leadership finally bore fruit and the US-Iran peace agreement was reached, which was signed by the presidents of both the warring countries, the US and Iran, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, as a mediator, electronically signed the agreement. For this historic development, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deserve special tribute, who recognized the pulse of the time and took timely steps to save the world from heading towards a crisis like World War III. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced the agreement last week and, speaking in the National Assembly the day after the announcement, also paid tribute to the Pakistani nation for steadfastly facing the pressure on the economy in difficult times.
It is a beautiful coincidence that this US-Iran peace agreement, known as the Islamabad Memorandum, consists of fourteen points, which remind us of the Quaid-e-Azam’s fourteen points that he presented on March 28, 1929 in response to the Nehru Report of 1928. The aim of these fourteen points was to protect the constitutional rights and political interests of the Muslims of the subcontinent. The aim of the fourteen points of the US-Iran agreement is also similar to this. The aim of these points is not only to protect the rights and interests of the people of Iran, but also to achieve the establishment of lasting peace for the Muslims of the Gulf countries and the world as the parties have announced the cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, Israel, which has not yet stopped its provocations, may become an obstacle in the implementation of this agreement.
It is reassuring that Iran has also signed this agreement, whereas before, only the US was making such claims and Iran was constantly denying them. The agreement has come into force, but there are still some obstacles in its implementation, due to which the technical talks held in Bergen, Switzerland, were postponed yesterday. Despite the signing of the agreement by the Iranian president, Iran’s doubts and suspicions remain, and that is why the Iranian leadership is warning the United States that it will be severely responded to in case of violation of the agreement.
On the other hand, the American leadership is not only very optimistic and confident about the peace agreement, but also determined that this agreement will lead to lasting peace. US President Trump said that all parties in the Middle East should remain committed to progress in the negotiation efforts. Global markets are liking the decline in oil prices and the increase in stocks. The decline in oil prices is a success for the United States. President Trump, while announcing the agreement on social media last week, had also called it the greatest diplomatic victory of the century.
The US Vice President also expressed positive views regarding the peace agreement and instructed Israel to refrain from any kind of mischief. JD Vance said that Israel must respect the peace process. Attacks on civilians in Beirut are unacceptable. Israeli ministers who criticize President Trump should come to their senses and face reality. The agreement and Israeli criticism of Trump are beyond comprehension.
The credit for the historic progress of the peace agreement between the United States and Iran will go to Pakistan. Our efforts will always be written in golden letters in the pages of history. In this regard, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while speaking in the National Assembly yesterday, said that the gratitude to Allah Almighty for the respect that Pakistan has received in the world through this agreement is insufficient. Many countries of the world spend centuries in search of such respect that Pakistan has received. If there is a country in the world today that is resonating with respect, it is Pakistan. Along with this, he also gave the good news of a significant reduction in the prices of petroleum products. He said that after the Iran-US peace agreement, the effects of cheap oil in the world market will also be transferred to the Pakistani nation. The way the people faced the storm of inflation is an example of itself. After the ceasefire, oil prices are now coming down. It was promised that every penny collected in the form of petrol will be returned to the nation.
By the time this article reaches you, the government will have announced a reduction in the prices of petroleum products. It is hoped that this reduction will be in line with the expectations of the Pakistani nation and will certainly help offset the rising prices over the past few months. Thus, the people of the whole world have been affected by the economic pressure arising from the US-Iran war, but the Pakistani nation had to bear a significant burden of it. The prices of petroleum products in Pakistan have increased by almost one and a half times. People’s businesses have been affected due to the lockdown. There were some problems in the supply of electricity and gas to the people. Although steps were taken by the federal and provincial governments to provide relief to the people, they were equal to salt in flour and their fruits could not reach every citizen equally. Now, as a result of the US-Iran peace agreement, Pakistanis are hopeful that the government will take effective steps to control the inflationary storm that has hit them over the past few months so that the benefits of this peace agreement can fully reach the Pakistani people.
