PESHAWAR, Oct 16:  Consul General of Iran in Peshawar Hassan Darwaish Vand has said that Tehran wants to strengthen cordial relations with Islamabad through promotion of trade, economic, education and culture linkages with dev-elopment of people to people to contacts because both are brotherly Islamic countries.

Speaking as a chief guest at an award distribution ceremony organised by Pakistan Youth Organisation (PYO) at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, he stressed the need for exchanging of delegations of traders and students to further cement the ties between the two neighbouring Islamic countries.

The Iranian envoy said that it was need of the hour to equip youth with modern technology and knowledge to enable them to compete with western powers in the field of research and technological development.

He condemned the sacrilegious movie, which caused unrest among Muslims across the world.

He said that the director of the movie should be awarded exemplary punishment so that no one else could dare to do it in future.

The movie, he said, was aimed at disturbing and playing with the sentiments of Muslim Ummah. He lauded the stance of Pakistan government to condemn the hate film in the UN General Assembly and took firm stand against it.

Mr Vand said that Tehran was extending cooperation to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in various fields.

On the occasion, PYO chairman Syed Sardar Bacha urged Muslim countries to unite against the US and its allies. He asked the rulers to save the country as its institutions were on the verge of collapse owing to rampant corruption. Mr Bacha called for utilising natural resources to avoid financial dependence on the World Bank, IMP, Asian Development Bank and other donor agencies.

He appreciated Federal Minister for Railways Haji Ghaulam Bilour for announcing bounty on the head of filmmaker. “We need Islamic education, which is based on Quran and Sunnah,” he added.

Later, awards were distributed among people belonging to different segments of society.