Pakistan has asked the Iranian authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into Wednesday’s cross-border terrorist attack in the Panjgur district of Balochistan and punish the culprits involved in the terrorist attack.
Four Pakistani troops were martyred in the terrorist attack when miscreants from the other side of the border attacked a security forces convoy in the Panjgur district located on the border with Iran. The convoy was reportedly on a routine patrol duty near the Pak-Iran border.
The Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, at the weekly media briefing, said that Iranian soil had been used for attacking the security forces, adding that the government has urged the Iranian authorities to bring the perpetrators to task.
“We call upon the Iranian authorities to ensure a thorough investigation of the matter and hold the perpetrators accountable,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the weekly media briefing.
Pak Army, PM condemn attack
Immediately after the attack, Pakistan Army said that “Iranian soil” had been used to launch an attack on soldiers and asked Iran to search for the terrorists located across the border. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had also urged Iran to ensure that its soil was not used by terrorists to launch cross-border attacks.
Recalling Islamabad’s resolve to end cross-border terrorism, Ms. Baloch said that Pakistan expects a similar commitment and effort from Iran.
When asked if the Iranian envoy was summoned to record protest over the attack, the Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We have channels of communication and these channels of communication are active and our concerns regarding this incident are being shared with Iran.”
No word from Iran
Although Iran did not comment on the attack, the Iranian embassy in Islamabad, condemned the attack, saying, “terrorism is the common pain of Iran and Pakistan and both sides have been victims of this ominous phenomenon”.
Pak-Iran border
Pakistan and Iran share a 909-km-long border, infamous for criminal gangs, militants, and drug traffickers. Violent incidents on both sides of the border have occurred in the past as well and have long remained a major cause of distrust in Pakistan-Iran ties.
Lately, both countries have taken some serious steps to curb cross-border terrorism and enhance border security. Pakistan is also constructing a fence across the Iran border to check unauthorized cross-border movement. The project is expected to cost Pakistan about Rs. 3 billion.