The remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with the officials in charge of the congress on martyrs of Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province, which was held on February 5, 2018, was released at the venue of this conference in the city of Zahedan on February 13.   

In the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to his deep affection for the people of Sistan-and-Baluchestan and described the Baluch as warm, intimate, pleasant and talented, and the people of Sistan-and-Baluchestan as rare and brilliant in terms of their history among Iranian ethnicities. He reiterated, “Despite this abundance of talent, the people of Sistan-and-Baluchestan were neglected in the Qajar and Pahlavi eras and this resulted in the lack of realization of the people’s talents.”    

He said the services provided in this region in the years after the Revolution are a sign of mutual affection between the people and the establishment and pointed to the needs outlined by the Sistan-and-Baluchestan governor in the meeting, adding, “You must seriously follow up through senior administrative officials on the needs of the people of the province such as desalinators and railway and by engaging the private sector, it will also be possible to tap into the the National Development Fund reserves.”  

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, described Sistan-and-Baluchestan as a manifestation of Muslim unity and example of cooperation and brotherly coexistence between the Shia and Sunni for the world and underscored the need for vigilance against divisive enemy plots. He said, “The martyrdom of a Sunni teenager in the Sacred Defense (Iraqi war on Iran in the 1980s) or the martyrdom at the hands of anti-Revolution [elements] of a Sunni Mevlevi while defending the Islamic Revolution shows that Shia and Sunni brethren in the Islamic Republic are present side by side in the most difficult arenas and these realities and this genuine unity must be illustrated and displayed via cultural and artistic works.” 

Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran owes its resistance against Modern Jahiliyyah (Ignorance), despite sanctions and all of the enemies’ cultural and military threats, to the faith and sacrifice of the people and said, “Martyrs and those who made sacrifices [in the Iraqi war on Iran] are the clear manifestation of absolute faith in the very important chain of faith and resistance; therefore, the Islamic establishment is in need of honoring and paying tribute to martyrs.”