Pakistan vows to cooperate with Iran following deadly attack on security personnel in Sistan-Baluchistan

An Iranian soldier stands on the lookout of an army station in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan near the Pakistani border. (AFP/File)

• Iran’s interior minister urged Pakistan to act against militant groups seeking safe havens in its frontier regions
• Pakistan’s FM says his country will continue to work with Iran since militancy is a collective challenge to peace

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interim foreign minister on Monday reiterated his country’s commitment to jointly address the militant threat by working with Iran after a senior administration official in Tehran urged Islamabad to ensure better border security in the wake of a deadly attack that killed 11 security personnel in his country.
The attack on a major police facility in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province prompted its interior minister Ahmad Vahidi to seek action from Pakistan against militant groups who wanted to build safe havens in its frontier region.
The Pakistani foreign minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, took up the issue in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, earlier today in which the two officials also discussed other matters of bilateral and regional significance.
“The Foreign Minister strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Southeastern Iran on 15 December, resulting in the deaths of several Iranian security personnel,” the foreign office said in a statement issued after the phone call. “He underlined Pakistan’s firm commitment to working closely with Iran in confronting the menace of terrorism, which is a collective challenge to regional peace and security.”
The statement said the two officials reaffirmed their commitment to the Pakistan-Iran relations, saying they were rooted in historical and cultural affinities while agreeing to enhance exchange of high-level visits to further strengthen their bond.
Jilani also expressed Pakistan’s deep concern over the dire situation in Occupied Palestine, especially the Gaza Strip which has been under attack by the Israeli forces.
He emphasized the urgency of a cease-fire, lifting of the siege of the Palestinian enclave, provision of uninterrupted humanitarian assistance, and the resumption of diplomatic efforts for lasting peace in the Middle East based on a just solution to the Palestinian question.