Iran ambassador summoned over cross-border attack

The Foreign Office summoned the Iranian ambassador on Thursday to lodge the formal protest over an attack on the Pakistani security forces from across the border in Balochistan in a rare move, suggesting friction between the two countries.

The Foreign Office did not issue any official statement on the development but sources confirmed to The Express Tribune that the envoy was summoned to express “Pakistan’s grave concern over the terrorist attack from inside the Iranian territory in which four Pakistani security personnel embraced martyrdom.”

The ambassador was conveyed Pakistan’s expectation that the government of Iran would swiftly bring the perpetrators of the terrorist attack to justice and to prevent recurrence of such incidents, according to a source. “Pakistan remains committed to work with Iran in combatting the common threat posed by the menace of terrorism,” the source maintained.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, four security personnel embraced martyrdom in a terrorist activity from across the Pakistan-Iran border in Chukab Sector on Wednesday.

“Terrorists used Iranian soil to target a convoy of security forces patrolling along the border. The Iranian side has been asked to hunt down the terrorists on their side,” the military’s media wing said in a hand out.

It is rare that Pakistan publically protested with Iran as usually it treads carefully despite incidents in the past. But the summoning of the Iranian ambassador coupled with a categorical statement by the Army suggested that Pakistan was running out of patience with the neighbouring country.

At a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch strongly condemned what she termed the cross-border terrorist incident. “The terrorists used Iranian soil to target a convoy of security forces. We expect of Iran to ensure that its territory is not used for cross-border attacks in Pakistan,” she said.

“We call upon the Iranian authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into the matter and hold the perpetrators accountable. Pakistan denounces terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We have strongly committed that our territory will not be used for cross-border attacks in Iran and expect the same from Iran.”

The spokesperson went on to say that Pakistan and Iran were close neighbours. “We have channels of communication and these channels of communication are active and our concerns regarding this incident are being shared with Iran,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy in Islamabad condemned on Thursday terrorist attack in Pakistan’s Balochistan province that left four security personnel dead earlier in the week. The statement added that terrorism was a common problem and both the neighbouring countries were victims of that “evil phenomenon”.