Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – October 8, 1998

At half past five in the morning, we went for mountain climbing. We passed through the town of Shahid Mohlati [in the northeast of Tehran]. Before the revolution, this town was the holy place of the Baha'is and it was confiscated. During the war, it was taken from Mustafafan Foundation by order of the Imam and given to the Corps for the construction of housing for the soldiers, and the implementation plan for the construction of four thousand residential units was started. Now it is close to completion and the town is prosperous and beautiful.

There is a lot of land in the highlands and several water springs. The army has taken it above it and built forest facilities and built a separate road from Sohank. In the heights, we dismounted and marched towards the peak. We talked to the soldiers and crossed the barbed wire. We also went to the army area. They had a number of sheep and two soldiers were herding. This kind of use of soldiers is a bad thing; I gave gifts and consolation to the soldiers.

On the way back, we went to another area in the west of the town. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established telecommunications facilities. From there they have been in contact with Afghanistan. I greeted the staff. Above, there are good water springs that have been piped. It is said that they have taken about 180 hectares of land. For now, they regret and want to leave it to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. Below that, they are busy preparing the land for the housing of the freedmen. We also passed through the town of Naft and Alborz; It is a good place.

I was at home until night. Time passed by studying. In the reports, the expansion of the global economic crisis and the massive demonstrations of the people against the Russian rulers and the end of Turkey's argument to Syria, with a 45-day deadline to accept the demands - the handing over of [Abdullah] Ocalan, the head of the PKK [Kurdish Workers' Party of Turkey] and the withdrawal of Turkey's territorial claim to Barkhak, etc.- are considered in the reports.

In the news, it was reported that the Taliban attacked the border post of Iran in the Torbat Jam area, which was repulsed. It is surprising that they were worried about Iran's attack, why did they take this dangerous action; It can be investigated, although the Taliban have denied the attack with an official announcement.