Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Friday said that it was in the interest of both Iran and Pakistan to take steps to restore their relationship to the levels before Tehran violated the country’s airspace.
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, Iranian state media reported, prompting strong condemnation from Islamabad and downgrading of diplomatic ties.
The Iranian strikes were part of a series of attacks carried out by Iran in recent days in Syria and Iraq as a response to recent terrorist attacks on its territory. They have heightened concerns about regional stability, particularly amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
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’s IRNA news agency had reported that nine people were killed in the attack targeting a village in the city of Saravan, with Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi saying all the dead “were foreign nationals”.
Following Pakistan’s tit-for-tat response to Iran’s missile attack, PM Kakar, who was in Switzerland for the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), decided to cut short his visit.
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.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefed the caretaker federal cabinet today about the situation arising from Tuesday’s attack such as its details and Pakistan’s response.
PM Kakar said that it was “in the interest of both countries to take steps to restore the relationship to what it was prior to Jan 16.”
The premier added that Pakistan would “welcome and reciprocate all positive measures from the Iranian side” in the above regard.
He said Pakistan and Iran were “two brotherly countries that have historically enjoyed fraternal and cooperative relations marked by respect and affection.”
Kakar added that Pakistan was a “law-abiding and peace-loving country” which sought friendly and cooperative relations with all countries, particularly its neighbours.
“The cabinet lauded the high professionalism with which the Pakistan armed forces responded to the breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty and how the entire government machinery worked in unison in this regard,” the PMO statement said.
NSC moot stresses engagement to address concerns
Separately, the National Security Committee (NSC) convened an emergency meeting today to deliberate on matters of national security.
PM Kakar chaired the high-level moot with interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, federal ministers and all the military services chiefs, including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir, in attendance.
“The forum undertook a wholesome review of the situation and lauded the professional, calibrated and proportionate response by the armed forces of Pakistan against unprovoked and unlawful violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” said a statement posted by state-run agency Pakistan Television News on social media platform X.
It added that the high-level moot’s participants expressed that as Iran was a “neighbourly and brotherly Muslim country”, existing multiple communication channels between it and Pakistan should be mutually utilised to address each other’s security concerns in the “larger interest of regional peace and stability”.
The meeting’s members were briefed about the political and diplomatic developments bearing upon the prevailing situation between Pakistan and Iran and its impact on the overall security milieu in the region.
The forum also took stock of Pakistan’s retaliatory response which was “successfully executed against Pakistani-originated Baloch terrorists residing on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran”.
The statement added that an update on the situation along the borders and the “necessary full preparations done to comprehensively respond to any further violation of national sovereignty” were also deliberated about.
“The forum reiterated the unflinching resolve that sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan are absolutely inviolable and sacrosanct and any attempt by anyone to breach it on any pretext will be responded with full might of the state.
“The meeting reaffirmed that the security and safety of the people of Pakistan is of paramount importance and no stone will be left unturned to ensure it,” the statement added.
It further said that the participants stressed Pakistan’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in accordance with the UN charter and international norms.
The NSC members also reiterated the resolve to deal with the menace of terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, “with an iron hand”.
“Forum also highlighted that Pakistan has suffered far more than any other country due to this scourge of terrorism. The meeting also concluded that in line with the universal principles governing the conduct of good neighbourly relations, the two countries would mutually be able to overcome minor irritants through dialogue and diplomacy and pave the way to further deepen their historic relations,” the statement said.
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