Pakistan registers protest on Iranian army’s warning

• FO summons Honardoost, conveys concerns over Iranian general’s remarks

Pakistan on Tuesday summoned Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed concerns over the unnecessary and uncalled for remarks by Major General Mohammad Baqeri, head of the Iranian armed forces.

“The Iranian ambassador to Pakistan was called 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,” says an official handout issued here by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It was conveyed to the Iranian ambassador that such remarks were against the spirit of brotherly relations existing between the two countries. On Monday, the Iranian general had said that the Iranian forces would hit ‘militant bases’ inside Pakistan if the government does not confront whats he alleged the ‘militants who carry out cross-border attacks.’

The statement came following an attack inside Iranian territory which left 10 Iranian border guards killed last month. Iran claimed that the Jaish-al-Adl militant group had shot the guards with long-range guns, allegedly fired from inside Pakistan. The border area has long been plagued by unrest from both drug smuggling gangs and militants.

However soon afterwards, some high-level visits had lowered the tensions, including the visit by Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Javad Zarif while National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also led a delegation to visit Iran.

Recently, the frequency of the high-level exchanges from both the sides has strengthened the bilateral cooperation and during the visit of the Iranian foreign minister to Islamabad on May 3, 2017, the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation on the border issues.

The Iranian side was urged to avoid issuance of such statements that could vitiate the environment of fraternal relations, the statement concluded.