TEHRAN: Pakistan police on Tuesday charged three Iranian border guards with the murder of a Pakistani man shot dead on Sunday in a cross-border attack in the country's southwest.
The three guards were held late Sunday in southwestern Balochistan province along the Iranian border after they allegedly crossed the frontier and shot at a car, killing a Pakistani national.
Police said they had charged the Iranians following a written complaint from the father of the victim.
"We have registered a murder case against the three Iranians and will present them in court," said Abdul Malik, officer in charge of the Mazan Sar Mashkail area, where the three were arrested.
A brother of the victim was also wounded by gunshots in the incident, police said.
The Iranians reached the area in Washuk district, three kilometres inside Pakistan, where they opened fire on a vehicle they were chasing, according to officials in the insurgent-hit province.
Pakistani officials said the Iranian guards were trying to take both Pakistani nationals back into Iran.
Malik said the three Iranians were in the custody of Pakistan paramilitary Frontier Corps and a request has been sent to hand them over to police.
Iran working to secure release of border guards
The Iranian Border Guards Commander Brigadier General Hossein Zolfaghari on Tuesday called on Pakistan to release three Iranian border guards who had "entered Pakistan by mistake while chasing armed drug smugglers."
"Pakistan border guards should immediately release the three guards who were doing their job," Zolfaghari told IRNA news agency adding that a second round of negotiations with the Pakistani border police will take place in coming hours to secure the release of the detainees.
"Three days ago border guards in Saravan, Sistan Baluchestan province, exchanged fire with a group of vandals and armed smugglers, killing two, injuring and arresting two others while the rest managed to escape into Pakistani territory. 500 kilograms of drugs were also seized," he stated.
The Iranian Commander said that a group of Iranian border guards chased the smugglers at night at zero point of the border and "unintentionally crossed into Pakistan before being arrested by their Pakistani counterparts." Zolfaghari also called on Pakistani border guards to stop cross border drug trafficking into Iranian soil, IRNA report said.
Iran guards 'unintentionally' crossed Pakistan border
Earlier, Iranian border guards accused of killing the Pakistani civilian “unintentionally” entered Pakistan in pursuit of drug traffickers, the commander of Iran’s police border guard said Tuesday.
“Three Iranian border guards pursued the drug traffickers and unintentionally and due to darkness entered Pakistani territory and were arrested by Pakistani forces,” Hossein Zolfaqari was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
Zolfaqari denied any Pakistani civilian was killed in the incident.
Zolfaqari said a delegation of Iranian border guards had spoken with Pakistani officials asking for the release of their colleagues and that more talks were scheduled.
He noted that the border is poorly marked.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, asked about the incident, told reporters on Tuesday: “We do not have precise details. Usually such incidents do occur in the borders but it will be solved with discussion by both sides.”
Iranian officials say 3,500 members of their security forces have been killed in clashes with traffickers over the past 30 years, mainly in areas bordering Afghanistan or Pakistan.
COMMENTS (38)
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Slow down a bit all indian nabour trolls and pak nationals.Iran is under immense pressure from US and West and both Afghan and maybe also Pak air space and territories are used for covert operations. Understand the Iranian guards are up. What did these Pakistanis do on Iranian soil? Kran has never attacked other countries, in fact theynhave defended themself heroicly. Pak and Iran are brotherhood nations and in the future pak-iran people will enjoy relations.
Shame on your biased opinions.Just think for a minute what will be Gas situation if iranian gas doesnt reach pakistan in time.
Drugs from Afghanistan gose directly to Ir Iran if not then via Our Dear Pakistn there is no doubt! our Pak boarders are long and large with these Historic brotherly Islamic Lands there are some incidents some times there are lost of life this belongs to justice to judge if need is but we Pakistanis know very well what is Smugler!!! and we know very well there is lots of smugling also!!! the Laws in Ir Iran are more stricter then in Our Pakistan this is very true! any how we are also members of ECO and SCO and there are talking about something like ECOPOL like Interpol etc and of course there is also very big business some time not declared with times it will get okey InshaAllah Pakistan Ir Iran Afghanistan are here to stay forever! there will always be incidents that's life its difficult to accept but c'est la vie we must has to Long Live Islamic Republic of Pakistan Long Live Islamic Republic of Iran Long Live Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
CIA sitting in Helmand (Afghan side of border) funded drug traffickers, to create mess in Iran and then run into Pakistan or the other way round in order to spoil relations between Pakistan and Iran.
Free them Don't accept blood money , it gives wrong impression And Iranian police have died fighting drug smugglers , Afghanistan produces the world drugs and it goes to Europe via Iran and turkey
Best solution is to ask Iran to put them on trial in Iran and jail them
@Ajm:
The indians did not kill anyone buy the iranians have killed and injured. Please charge them and send them to prison so that they will respect Pakistan's territory.
Timing could not have been more convenient. I am sure there are prisoners in Iran that we can trade this guard for. As for blood money, it is the family's privilege.
@R S JOHAR: Learn to mind you own business. Might do you people some good. It is not like the world does not know your daliy bs at B'Desh borders. Seems like you get paid by GOI & TOI hourly wages to show up here!
This just shows that the Iranians dont mess around. You cant help admiring them. If you cross the border and feel safe they cross the border to get you. Laws be damned. They're total mavericks and this can also bee seen in their dealings with the west, like how they captured that drone last week and plucked Jundullah leader Riggi out of the sky last year. No wonder they make the world quake with every small move they make while we, the only muslim nuclear power are a beggar state which gets no respect.
Do not score mileage on this incident. Borders mean nothing in such areas. Pakistani police kills daily. Forgot how Chechens were assassinated. This is just another police case and should be dealt accordingly. It is not that Iranian government invaded Islamabad.
Looks like the Pan-Islamist Pakistanis came a little late here. I expected them to come here screaming the Iranians are our "Muslim brothers." We should defend our sovereignty from America but let our "Muslim brothers" walk all over us. Whenever Arabs, iranians, Afghans they do this, the Pan-Islamists try to find a reason to justify this.
Even if they killed a drug dealer the border guards should still be fined for illigal entry and possession and usage of a weapons inside Pakistan.
@R S JOHAR: You think like Zardari.
Is our soveringty not infringed? Why are we not reevaluating ties with Iran? Or is our soverignty only infringed when the white man does it?
Pakisan must fence the border with Afghanistan and must strongly monitor who enters and leaves. This will make sure that no bad guys enter or leave Pakistan.
A stranger can forget a way or make a mistake regarding the boundry, officials appointed at boarders know each and every inch of the erea, so its was intentional breach of international law. Soverignity of PAKISTAN shall be respected and should be get observed from all neighbours.
@ Faran yr comment is the funniest iran isn't the one who need pakistan. Pakistan is the one with limited true allies namely Iran and China. Its pakistan who needs iran. Think before u write something. And its pakistan filled with corrupted people where namosay resalat is imposed on a person with any proof. Where people are being without any arrest if iranian guards killed a couple of them and they say they were following them from their part of border they must be right our heroic police have charged them with out investigation
Remember we have to take gas from them?. Beggars are not choosers besides give them benifit of doubt.it could be a mistake if not let's pretend that.
Can Iran match the blood money paid by Raymond Davis? As soon as the money is paid the courts would come into action with the speed of light. Unless the Iranians have some important people in their custody and are willing to release them, they would have to cough up a lot of money after all this publicity.
plz leave iranians they r our well wishers
Faran@ "i think they consider india as friend….that is their mistake!"
What has India got to do with this incident? Drug traffickers are not innocent civilians. If it is ok to give death sentence to an illiterate woman who might have said some thing in fit of anger, what is wrong in shooting down drug traffickers?
Every One Knows What is The situation at Iran Border There is Hardly and barriers or makings at most of the points ,and how monthly Hundreds of Pakistanis Arrested while crossing Irani Border thorough illegal ways... This is Sad but True :(
I trust Iran!
@Umar: Innocent civilians do not carry guns, at least not in Pakistan.
All three of them will be released very soon.Actions are procedural.
iranians have no right to kill people in Pak territory....they should act responsibly...as they have only few allies in this world.... i think they consider india as friend....that is their mistake!
brotherhood concept anyone?
As happened in Raymond Davis's case, the Iranian govt should pay blood money to the relatives of the deceased for release of their personnel.
So we let go of Raymond Davis for killing two innocent civilians and will prosecute members of Iranian border guards for killing supposed smugglers.
@alicia: it had nothing to do with OBL incident, but Law and Order in Balouchistan if Pakistan freed indian helicopter why not iranian guards
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui Iran already has a very well guarded and armed border across Pakistan and Afghanistan. After the OBL incident they closed it for about 6 months and reopened it only recently until this incident
Let's erect a fence between Pakistan and Iran's border so that such mistake should not be repeated again.
Unintentionally? Hard to believe.