Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - April 21, 2001 - Consultative Meeting of Hassan Rouhani Ahead of His Trip to Pakistan and the Lack of Consensus Among Military Officials, the Foreign Ministry, and the Presidential Elections

The consultative meeting of Hassan Rouhani ahead of his trip to Pakistan highlighted the lack of consensus among military officials and the Foreign Ministry regarding the upcoming presidential elections.

The meeting between Abbas Maleki and Sheikh Mohammad Javad Fazel Lankarani revealed significant points, particularly when the Sheikh discussed the restrictions imposed by certain Friday prayer leaders on distributing Imam's share to authorities other than Ayatollah Khamenei. Additionally, he criticized the special courts under Article 49 of the Constitution and the collection of religious khums by these authorities, presided over by Sheikh Hossein Ali Niri. He recounted a question posed by his father, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, to Sheikh Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani regarding the outcome of the trial of Gholam Hossein Karbaschi.

A group of instructors and educators from the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard met with Sheikh Ahmad Salek Kashani, who provided explanations regarding their work.

Kareem Zarei, the then-deputy of Azad University, reported on the political factions.

Seyyed Hossein Marashi reported on the disputes among various factions within the reformist front and questioned the quality of the session of the Expediency Discernment Council during the report presented by Sheikh Abbas Ali Alizadeh, head of the Tehran Judiciary, and Sheikh Ali Mobashari, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

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Dr. Hassan Rouhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, came. Invited by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdolsttar, he is set to travel to Pakistan. He mentioned that the Foreign Ministry does not agree with this trip and is also opposed to discussions with the Pakistanis regarding Afghanistan, while the military officials are against discussing military matters. The leadership has no objections, but in terms of commercial matters, the Ministry of Agriculture disagrees with purchasing wheat from Pakistan due to pest issues. Given the difficulties in negotiations, he sought advice. Regarding the presidential elections, he stated that the Moderation and Development Party had a meeting the night before, and he was unclear about their decision. However, after the latest discussions with Mr. Mohammad Khatami, it has become clearer to him that Khatami intends to run.

Mr. Abbas Maleki and Agha Javad, the son of Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, arrived. Mr. Lankarani stated that some Friday prayer leaders are preventing the Imam's share from reaching other authorities, including Sheikh Mohammad Hashemian in Rafsanjan. He mentioned that the collection of khums by Judge Hossein Ali Niri has negatively affected the Imam's share as well. He pointed out that the issue previously raised as plundering public funds has caused economic stagnation and difficulties. His father had previously asked Mr. Gholam Hossein Mohammadi Golpayegani, head of the Leadership Office, about the benefits derived from the trial of Mr. Gholam Hossein Karbaschi, the former mayor of Tehran, to which the response was that there was nothing.

In the afternoon, a group of guiding instructors and teachers from the Quds Force came. Mr. Ahmad Salek Kashani, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Quds Force, reported, and I delivered a speech on the political, intellectual, and technical matters necessary for their work. A seven-year-old child, who had memorized the entire Quran and part of Nahj al-Balagha, also gave an impressive performance and received an award.

Mr. Kareem Zarei, the deputy president of Azad University, arrived. He mentioned that they have an organizational program for graduates, with 50,000 alone in Tehran, and reported on a meeting of representatives from various parliamentary periods, noting that he has been elected to the board of directors with the highest votes and requested a meeting. Mr. Hossein Marashi from Kerman came. He stated that there are disputes and disagreements among various factions of the Second Khordad Front. He wanted to know what transpired during the session of the Expediency Discernment Council when the Judiciary reported on the reasons for the arrest of national-religious activists.