A day after carrying out retaliatory strikes on terror camps at seven locations inside Iran, Pakistan expressed the desire to work with Iran “based on the spirit of mutual trust and cooperation”.
On Friday, the two neighbouring countries agreed to “de-escalate the situation” and strengthen coordination on counterterrorism.
According to he Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson, the development came during a telephonic conversation between Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
On Tuesday, Iran had launched attacks in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan. In protest against the Iranian strikes, Pakistan terminated all diplomatic ties with Iran and called back its ambassador to Tehran.
The next day, Pakistan struck “hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF)” in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, in an intelligence-based operation codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’.
Iran had condemned the strikes, and summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires “to protest and request an explanation from the Pakistani government”, a statement by foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani had said.
However, the Iranian foreign ministry later said in a press release that it was committed to good neighbourly relations with Pakistan while condemning what it said was an “unbalanced and unacceptable drone attack on non-Iranian villagers”.
Following Pakistan’s tit-for-tat response to Iran’s missile attack, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, who was in Switzerland for the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), decided to cut short his visit.
Foreign Minister @JalilJilani spoke with the Foreign Minister of Iran, @Amirabdolahian today. Foreign Minister Jilani expressed Pakistan’s readiness to work with Iran on all issues based on spirit of mutual trust and cooperation. He underscored the need for closer cooperation on… pic.twitter.com/BctWkBvnjl
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) January 19, 2024
Similarly, FM Jilani, who was in Uganda to attend a ministerial meeting of the non-aligned movement, also decided to return to the country.
According to the FO statement issued today, the foreign minister spoke to the Iranian FM and underscored the “close brotherly relations” between Pakistan and Iran. He expressed Pakistan’s desire to “work with Iran based on the spirit of mutual trust and cooperation”.
“The foreign minister stressed that respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty must underpin this cooperation,” it said.
“The two foreign ministers agreed that working level cooperation and close coordination on counter terrorism and other aspects of mutual concern should be strengthened. They also agreed to de-escalate the situation,” the FO said.
The return of ambassadors of the two countries to their respective capitals was also discussed, it added.
In a separate statement earlier, the FO said FM Jilani expressed Pakistan’s readiness to work with Iran on all issues and underscored the need for closer cooperation on security issues.
