Pakistan, Iran resume diplomatic ties; Tehran’s FM due in Islamabad on Jan 29
Celina Ali
Islamabad: Pakistan and Iran foreign offices on Monday issued a joint press release announcing that both countries have mutually agreed to restore diplomatic ties with ambassadors of both countries and may return to their respective posts by 26 January 2024.
“At the invitation of Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, will undertake a visit to Pakistan on 29 January 2024,” the joint press statement issued.
Pakistan has strongly condemned violation of its #airspace by #Iran which resulted in death of 2 kids; while injuring 3 girls.
Earlier on January 17, Pakistan strongly condemned the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran and the strike inside Pakistani territory, which resulted in the death of two innocent children while injuring three girls.
In a statement, MOFA said: “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences.”
The statement reads: “It is even more concerning that this illegal act has taken place despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan’s strong protest has already been lodged with the concerned senior official in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran.
The foreign office spokesperson said that the Iranian Charge d’affaires has been called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey our strongest condemnation of this blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and that the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran.”
Pakistan has always said terrorism is a common threat to all countries in the region that requires coordinated action. Such unilateral acts are not in conformity with good neighbourly relations and can seriously undermine bilateral trust and confidence, MOFA spokesperson said.
It is pertinent to note that on 20th January 2023, Pakistan summoned the Irani Ambassador for terrorists from Iran involved in the attack on security forces in Panjgur.
Iran allegedly launched attacks in Pakistan on Tuesday targeting what it described as two bases of Baloch group Jaish al-Adl, state media reported, potentially further raising tensions in the Middle East already roiled by Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Iranian state media reported that the bases were “hit and destroyed” by missiles and drones, without elaborating.
Other media reports claimed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards carried out the “ballistic missile strikes” at multiple locations on Iran-Pakistan border. An open-source intelligence monitor claimed the Revolutionary Guards announced they carried out the attack using ballistic missiles as well as “one-way suicide drones” against the “anti-Iran terrorist groups”.
Stunning details of the terrorists killed in the Pakistani strike on Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) bases in Iran have come to the fore.
These terrorists played a prominent role in the long-standing terrorism being perpetrated in Balochistan, as they became tools in the hands of anti-Pakistan forces for personal financial gains.
The Pakistani armed forces conducted successful airstrikes against hideouts of the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) in neighboring Iran, eliminating several key figures responsible for a string of violent attacks in the Balochistan province.
