Pakistan concerned over Iranian army chief’s statement

Iran says Pakistan must take swift action to secure borders

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday was compelled to make a formal protest to Iran by summoning the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost to the Foreign Office for conveying Pakistan’s concerns over the reported remarks of the Iranian chief of staff of the armed forces regarding cross border actions.

“Such remarks were against the spirit of brotherly relations existing between the two countries. The Iranian side was urged to avoid issuance of such statements that could vitiate the environment of fraternal relations,” the Spokesman at the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Islamabad’s response was muted and devoid of rhetoric advising Iran not to strain bilateral relations when both sides had agreed to further cooperate on issues relating to their borders. Iranian Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri had in a surprising public statement threatened that Iran would hit bases inside Pakistan if the government did not stop militants from carrying out cross border attacks inside the Iranian territory.

“We cannot accept the continuation of this situation,” Major General Mohammad Baqeri said, adding that, “We expect the Pakistani officials to control the borders, arrest the terrorists and shut down their bases. If the terrorist attacks continue, we will hit their safe havens and cells, wherever they are”.

The Iranian ambassador was reminded of the frequency of high-level exchanges from both the sides, which had strengthened the bilateral cooperation. The spokesman particularly pointed to the May 3 visit of the Iranian foreign minister who had met Pakistani civil and military leaders leading both sides agreeing to enhance cooperation on the border issues.

This it is all the more surprising that after the foreign minister’s visit where all issues were discussed threadbare, the Iranian army chief resorted to such threats. An agreement had been reached in which both sides were to set up a hotline between border security forces to coordinate the monitoring of the border.

It is indeed worrisome for Pakistan as already India and Afghanistan too, have protested of terrorist activities launched from inside Pakistan. The Iranian accusations of militants entering the Iranian territory to take out Iranian border security forces have been a constant irritant in bilateral relations where in April alone, 11 Iranian guards were killed in Mirjaveh town.

Jaishul Adl terrorist group had claimed responsibility for this attack with Islamabad condemning the attack which it said had taken place inside Iran.

INP adds: Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has called on Pakistan to take swift measures to improve security along its borders with Iran.

In a telephonic conversation with Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Rahmani Fazli said Islamabad should prevent the infiltration of terrorists into Iran, smuggling of narcotics and illegal crossing into Iran by Afghan nationals from the Pakistani border, the Iranian media said.

He pointed to the recent terrorist crime against the Iranian border guards serving on the country’s southeastern frontier near the town of Mirjaveh and added that the incident was not expected considering the cordial relations between the two countries.

The Iranian minister invited Nisar Ali Khan to pay a visit to Tehran and said, “We are ready to hold a conference on cooperation on security economic and border issues as soon as possible.”

Rahmani Fazli also called for enhanced economic interaction and commercial cooperation between the two countries, saying economic interaction in border areas can establish sustainable security along the common borders. Chaudhry Nisar said Pakistan had resolved to implement bilateral agreements. He added that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had tasked him with implementing the accords.