Pakistan and Iran pledged Monday to improve dialogue and swap liaison officers as both nations sought to ease tensions after deadly cross-border strikes threatened diplomatic relations.
Jerrymusa.com reports that the Israel-Hamas conflict has heightened tensions in the region, which were further exacerbated by the tit-for-tat raids earlier this month in the porous border region of Baluchistan, which is divided between the two countries.
Iran Pakistan Relationship Have Always Been Cordial
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated that since relationships had always been cordial, the hostilities could not be characterized as a “crisis” while on a visit to Pakistan on Monday.
“We would naturally prevail over this,” Amir-Abdollahian stated at a press conference.
“Tehran and Islamabad will work together to prevent terrorism from jeopardizing our relations.
“Jalil Abbas Jilani, the foreign minister of Pakistan, stated during the same briefing that all parties had decided to expand communication at all levels and expedite the arrangement to assign liaison officers to each other’s nations.
“In the least amount of time, we have been able to return this situation to normal,” he declared.
The same week that the Iranian military was focusing on Syria and Iraq, Tehran launched operations against an anti-Iranian organization in Pakistan on January 16.
In retaliation, Pakistan launched a predawn raid on “militant targets” in Sistan-Baluchistan province, Iran, two days later.
Sistan-Baluchistan is one of the few predominantly Sunni Muslim districts in Shiite-dominated Iran.
Militant Targets in The Region
It has witnessed ongoing turmoil from Islamists, insurgents from the Baluch ethnic minority, and transnational drug-smuggling groups.
Sharp criticism followed the initial Iranian strikes, which Pakistan claimed claimed the lives of at least two youngsters.
from Islamabad, as the government prevented Iran’s envoy from taking up his position and called back its ambassador from Tehran.
A charge d’affaires from Islamabad was also called by Tehran due to the strikes in Pakistan that claimed the lives of at least nine people.
Nonetheless, the two nations declared last week that they had made the decision to defuse the situation and permit both ambassadors to resume their positions.
Nine people were slain by gunmen in the Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran on Saturday; the envoy of Islamabad identified the victims as Pakistanis.
No organization has taken accountability thus far. China volunteered to mediate the situation after the United States and European Union expressed worry over the earlier exchange of airstrikes between Iran and Islamabad and recommended caution.
However, on Monday, both foreign ministers emphasized that solid, long-term ties and respect for one another’s boundaries have ensured a prompt resolution.
Good ties between Pakistan and Islamabad, according to Jilani, are “an important source of stability for the whole region.
“He noted that in order to promote trade and cross-cultural interactions even more, the parties had decided to expedite the growth of border markets along the boundary.
They would also schedule frequent meetings to take place in each other’s capitals and create a new “consultative mechanism” at the cabinet level.
“All issues of mutual interest were brought up in our discussions,” he stated.