Islamabad, 17 January 2024 (TDI): Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned Iranian airstrikes inside its territory terming it as unprovoked violation of Pakistani airspace and warned Iran of retaliation and consequences.
According to the Iranian state news agency, Iran used “precision missile and drone strikes” which were aimed to destroy two strongholds of the Sunni militant group Jaish al Adl, known in Iran as Jaish al Dhulm.
Subsequently, the attacks were catered in the village near Koh e Sabz area of the province of Balochistan, the attack is said to result in death of two innocent children with three girls injured.
In response, Foreign Ministry of Pakistan in the strongest terms condemned the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran and the strike inside Pakistani territory which resulted in death of two innocent children while injuring three girls.
Following the Iran’s violation of Pakistani airspace. The Spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan issued a statement. The statement added that this violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences.
It further stated that it is of even more concern that this illegal act by Iran has taken place despite the existence of several channels of communication between the two countries of Pakistan and Iran.
Pakistan calls back its Ambassador from Iran
The spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefed that last night’s unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty by Iran is a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
Subsequently, this illegal act is completely unacceptable and has no justification whatsoever. Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act. The responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran.
Consequently, Pakistan has informed Iranian government to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return for the time being.
The Spokesperson also added that Pakistan has decided to suspend all high-level visits which were ongoing or were planned between Pakistan and Iran in coming days.
In addition, the foreign office of Pakistan lodged a strong protest with the concerned senior official in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran and the Iranian Charge d’affaires in Pakistan has been called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Ministry conveyed its strongest condemnation to the Iranian Charge d’affaires, of this blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and that the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran.
Besides, the statement also added that Pakistan has always said terrorism is a common threat to all countries in the region that requires coordinated action. Such unilateral acts are not in conformity with good neighbourly relations and can seriously undermine bilateral trust and confidence.
According to the deputy commissioner of Panjgur, the attacks in the village of Koh e Sabz, about 60 kilometers (about 37.28 mi) from Pakistan’s border with Iran, damaged a house in which the children were injured, also a mosque in the nearby areas was hit during the strikes.
Jaish al Adl
Jaish al Adl, translated as Army of Justice, is a separatist Sunni militant group that operates on both sides of the Pak Iran border. The group founded in 2012 have claimed bombings and kidnapped Iranian border police in the past.
In Particular, the stated goal of Jaish al Adl is the independence of Iran’s Sistan and Pakistan’s Balochistan province. Iran has fought border areas against the militants, but an attack of such capacity with missile airstrike across Pakistan’s borders is unprecedented for Iran.
Iran’s attack in Iraq and Syria
This airstrikes of Iran across Pakistan’s border comes the following day after Iran launched ballistic missiles in northern Iraq and Syria on Monday. According to Iran it attacked spy base for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad in northern Iraq and at anti-Iran terror groups in Syrian.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry, the missile strike in Iraq was Iran’s military action against Mossad-affiliated center in Erbil, Iraq, and the terrorist affiliated headquarters in Idlib, Syria.
Additionally, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson of Iran stated that the country took the action in line with the strong defense of its sovereignty and security, and against terrorism.
Furthermore, he commented that the Islamic Republic of Iran always supports peace, stability and security in the region and adheres to the observance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries.
However, it simultaneously exercises its legitimate and legal right to deal with sources threatening national security and defense with deterrence, and without hesitation to protect the safety of its citizens and punish criminals.
Consequently, Iraq condemns these airstrikes by Iran. The Foreign Ministry of Iraq termed the airstrikes as blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and in response recalled its ambassador from Tehran.
Also Read: Iran, India discuss key regional and global challenges
However, the airstrikes by Iran in Pakistan comes after a short while when Foreign Minister of Iran met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwaar Kakar on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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