Pakistan, Iran to discuss new ‘terms of engagement’ today

Iranian FM arrives for talks on mending ties after missile exchanges

ISLAMABAD:

The foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan will hold crucial talks here on Monday (today) as part of efforts to repair their ties damaged by tit-for-tat missile strikes a fortnight ago.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian arrived in Islamabad late on Sunday. As the two countries were reeling from the missile exchanges, killing of 9 Pakistani labourers in Sistan-Blauchistan province of Iran on Saturday, highlighted the fault lines in the bilateral ties.

Before leaving for Islamabad, the Iranian foreign minister sought to assure Pakistan that Tehran would not allow “enemies” to target “friendship, peace and security in the region,” according to IRNA
Pakistan asked Iran to investigate the Saravan incident and bring the perpetrators of heinous crime to justice. Tehran was quick to condemn the killing of Pakistani workers, who were from South Punjab.

Observers feel Baloch terrorist outfits, who were targeted in the Pakistani missile strikes, might be behind the gruesome murder of poor workers.

Tensions may have eased but officials here said the rupture caused in the relationship due to missile exchanges may take some time to heal. They added that the visit of the Iranian foreign minister was crucial as the two sides would discuss the “new terms of engagements” after the recent events.

The Iranian foreign minister will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart at the Foreign Office. The two foreign ministers will also address a joint press conference, suggesting that both sides want to send a message of reconciliation.

An unusual military standoff was triggered by Iran’s missile strikes on January 16, targeting what it claimed, the hideouts of Jaish-al-Adl in remote region of Balochistan. the Jaish-al-Adl, formed in 2012, is a militant group involved in several attacks on the Iranian security forces.

Read: Pakistan, Iran to discuss new ‘terms of engagement’ after missile exchanges

The group claimed responsibility for the killing of 11 Iranian police officials in December last year in Sistan-Blauchistan. Tehran claims the group has hideouts across the border in Pakistan.

Islamabad, however, denied that Iranian missile strikes killed terrorists. According to Pakistan, strikes left two innocent children dead and injuring three girls.

Two days later Pakistan mounted its own reply, hitting what it said were terrorist bases of Baloch terrorist outfits. Iran admitted those killed in the Pakistan strikes were not Iranian nationals.

Following Pakistan’s retaliation, the two sides were quick to climb down the escalation ladder. Ahead of the Iranian foreign minister’s visit, the ambassadors of Iran and Pakistan returned to their respective assigned capitals on Friday.

The two countries have often boasted of their “friendly and brotherly” ties but underneath does exist certain problems. The major issue is the presence of non-state actors in the border region that has been the cause of mistrust.

But despite that a very few had thought Iran would resort to missile strikes in Pakistan. Officials said that both sides would now need to move cautiously and agree on a new framework that ensures such incidents did not happen in the future.