Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 15, 1990

Mr. [Mohammed Hossein] Mashaykhi, [Head of the Government Punishment Organization] came. He gave a report on government punishments and asked about its future. Mr. [Syed Mohammad Hasan] Tolayi, [Governor of Khuzestan] came. He gave a report on the reconstruction of Khuzestan and asked for the good implementation of the works. We had a meeting of Friday imams and governors of certain provinces. A decision was made about the amount of aid and the quality of aid from the provinces.

At half past four in the evening, Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, came. He had arrived in Mashhad in the morning and after visiting [Imam Reza (AS)] he came to Tehran. We had a private negotiation in my office for about an hour and a half, then we went to the official meeting and the official negotiations were done.

They went to Saad Abad to rest and at 8:30 PM they came to the Foreign Ministry Palace for my dinner party. Before dinner, we had various discussions about private and family issues and asked and answered the situation of our countries. In a private meeting, they talked about nuclear weapons. He and I gave the speech at the dinner table.

[Pakistani delegation] were generally satisfied with the negotiations and reception and [Ms. Benazir Bhutto] insisted on my visit to Pakistan. They are seriously worried about starting a war with India. Usually, in the question, they did not know the statistics of their country. Apparently, his ministers were submissive to him, even though they are older than him, but he himself spoke of lack of cohesion and trust. I came home late.