{"id":49099,"date":"2024-01-17T18:24:10","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T18:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/in-call-with-iranian-counterpart-fm-jilani-stresses-pakistans-right-to-respond-to-unprovoked-airstrike\/"},"modified":"2024-01-17T18:24:10","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T18:24:10","slug":"in-call-with-iranian-counterpart-fm-jilani-stresses-pakistans-right-to-respond-to-unprovoked-airstrike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/in-call-with-iranian-counterpart-fm-jilani-stresses-pakistans-right-to-respond-to-unprovoked-airstrike\/","title":{"rendered":"In call with Iranian counterpart, FM Jilani stresses Pakistan\u2019s \u2018right to respond\u2019 to unprovoked airstrike"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani stressed Pakistan\u2019s right to respond in a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday following the \u201cunprovoked violation of its airspace\u201d by Tehran, according to the Foreign Office (FO).<\/p>\n<p>Earlier today, the FO said Pakistan decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and suspend all high-level visits ongoing or planned between the two countries following the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Iran, on the other hand, claimed that it targeted an \u201cIranian terrorist group\u201d and \u201cnone of the nationals of the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan were targeted by Iranian missiles and drones\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1806351\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The developments came after the FO, in a statement released late on Tuesday night, denounced the strikes in Pakistani territory that resulted in \u201cdeaths of two innocent children while injuring of three girls\u201d. It termed the incident a \u201cviolation of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s state-run <em>Nour News<\/em> agency said the attack destroyed the Pakistan headquarters of the Jaish al-Adl.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s semi-official <em>Tasnim<\/em> news agency said the \u201cfocal point of this operation was the region known as Kouh-Sabz (green mountain)\u201d in Balochistan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo key strongholds of the Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) terrorist group in Pakistan\u201d were \u201cspecifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks\u201d, the Tasnim news agency said.<\/p>\n<p>Local authorities said they had also received information about such an attack but had no further details. Reports from the area suggested that a missile hit a mosque, partially damaging it and injuring some people.<\/p>\n<p>According to <em>AFP<\/em>, hours before the attack, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar had met Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.<\/p>\n<p>A press release issued today from the FO said that FM Jilani, currently leading the Pakistan delegation to the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Uganda\u2019s Kampala, received a telephone call from his Iranian counterpart on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExpressing Pakistan\u2019s unreserved condemnation of the attack, the foreign minister added that the incident has caused serious damage to bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran. The foreign minister added that Pakistan reserved the right to respond to this provocative act,\u201d the FO said.<\/p>\n<p>FM Jilani \u201cfirmly underscored\u201d that the attack was not only a \u201cserious breach of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty\u201d but was also an \u201cegregious violation of international law and the spirit of bilateral relations\u201d between Pakistan and Iran.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStressing that terrorism was a common threat to the region and required concerted and coordinated efforts to combat this menace, the foreign minister underlined that unilateral actions could seriously undermine regional peace and stability. No country in the region should tread this perilous path,\u201d the FO said.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"pakistan-to-recall-ambassador-from-iran-fo\" href=\"#pakistan-to-recall-ambassador-from-iran-fo\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>Pakistan to recall ambassador from Iran: FO<\/h2>\n<p>In a <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ForeignOfficePk\/status\/1747576195401855457\">press briefing<\/a> in Islamabad today, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said last night\u2019s \u201cunprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty by Iran\u201d was a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis illegal act is completely unacceptable and has no justification whatsoever,\u201d she asserted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act and the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,\u201d Baloch said, adding that Islamabad had conveyed the message to the Iranian government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have also informed them that Pakistan has decided 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Baloch added that Islamabad had decided to suspend all high-level visits which were ongoing or were planned between Pakistan and Iran in the coming days.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"iran-claims-targeted-terrorist-group-in-pakistan\" href=\"#iran-claims-targeted-terrorist-group-in-pakistan\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>Iran claims targeted \u2018terrorist group in Pakistan\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Meanwhile, Tehran\u2019s top diplomat alleged that his country\u2019s armed forces targeted an \u201cIranian terrorist group\u201d in Pakistan later on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn Pakistan, none of the nationals of the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan were targeted by Iranian missiles and drones,\u201d FM Abdollahian said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe so-called Jaish Al Adl group, which is an Iranian terrorist group, was targeted,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Abdollahian said Iran\u2019s attack on \u201cPakistan\u2019s soil\u201d was a response to the Jaish Al Adl group\u2019s recent deadly attacks, particularly on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1798111\">city of Rask<\/a> in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe group has taken shelter in some parts of Pakistan\u2019s Balochistan province,\u201d he claimed, adding that \u201cwe\u2019ve talked with Pakistani officials several times on this matter\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The foreign minister said Iran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan but would not \u201callow the country\u2019s national security to be compromised or played with\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  w-full  w-full  media--stretch  media--embed  \">\n<p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"LIVE: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian attends Davos event\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iFvhaWaRbAs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Earlier, Iran\u2019s Deputy President for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Hosseini claimed Pakistan had been warned \u201cthat they must prevent the entry into Iran of people who kill large numbers of people, it was natural to have the reaction of the Islamic republic\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"pakistani-delegation-leaves-border-meeting-with-iran-midway\" href=\"#pakistani-delegation-leaves-border-meeting-with-iran-midway\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>Pakistani delegation leaves border meeting with Iran midway<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier today, Pakistan\u2019s delegation at the Pak-Iran Joint Border Trade Committee left a meeting in Chabahar midway, Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Aurangzeb Badini told <em>Dawn.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>He said the meeting of the Chabahar Free Zone Business Exhibition was subsequently postponed. The Pakistani side was led by Balochistan Chief Collector Abdul Qadir Memon and DC Badini, with officials of the chamber of commerce of Quetta and Gwadar in attendance.<\/p>\n<p>Badini said both sides were expected to hold consultations on a number of issues and sign several memorandums. However, the delegation left the meeting midway over the \u201cinfiltration of Pakistani borders by Iranian authorities\u201d and the FO directions that followed later, the official stated.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, interim Balochistan Chief Minister Mardan Khan Domki has announced compensation for the heirs of those killed and injured in last night\u2019s incident.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"china-urges-pakistan-iran-to-exercise-restraint\" href=\"#china-urges-pakistan-iran-to-exercise-restraint\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>China urges Pakistan, Iran to \u2018exercise restraint\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Separately, China urged Pakistan and Iran to show \u201crestraint\u201d following the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at a regular briefing today, China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said: \u201cWe call on both sides to exercise restraint, avoid actions that would lead to an escalation of tension and work together to maintain peace and stability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe consider both Iran and Pakistan as close neighbours and major Islamic countries,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>It must be noted that both Iran and Pakistan are close partners of Beijing and members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation \u2014 a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India and Russia.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"unacceptable-and-condemnable\" href=\"#unacceptable-and-condemnable\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>\u2018Unacceptable and condemnable\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The incident also triggered condemnations from across Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on social media platform X, caretaker Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai expressed disappointment and said terrorism was a common threat to all countries in the region that required coordinated action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuch acts of air space violations by Iran undermine neighbourly relation, trust and renewed trade linkages established with Balochistan,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was \u201cshocked at the Iranian breach of Pakistani sovereignty\u201d. He also extended condolences to the grieving families.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis missile attack is against the spirit of our friendship and principles of good neighbourliness, especially as it undermines the historic relationship between our two countries,\u201d Shehbaz said, stressing that sincere dialogue and meaningful cooperation between the two countries was the need of the hour.<\/p>\n<p>Ex-federal minister and PPP leader Sherry Rehman termed the incident \u201cunacceptable and condemnable\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPakistan has acted with restraint whenever there\u2019s been turbulence on the Pak-Iran border by terrorist groups, and always sought collective responses to the transnational challenge of terrorism,\u201d she wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>Sherry further stated that such strikes eroded Muslim unity at an \u201cexistential moment of great need for jointly navigating forums for cooperation while the traffic and painful genocide in Gaza at the hand of Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThirdly, de-escalation will need Tehran to understand that violence and conflict are exactly what non-state actors and terrorists are seeking. That gives them fertile ground for metastasising,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Sherry added that Pakistan had no stakes in \u201cfanning the flames of such conflict but will obviously have to respond if better sense does not prevail\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir also strongly condemned the airstrike, saying that there was no justification for the attack and violation by Iran given the \u201ccordial relations\u201d shared by the two countries.<\/p>\n<p>He appreciated the government\u2019s \u201cmeasured\u201d response to the incident. \u201cTerrorism is indeed a common threat as reiterated by the Pak Govt &amp; only longstanding solution is sincere and joint efforts between the two countries. Our sovereignty must be paramount,\u201d Nasir added.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"violation-of-pakistans-sovereignty\" href=\"#violation-of-pakistans-sovereignty\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>\u2018Violation of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>In the statement released late on Tuesday night, the FO had vehemently protested the \u201cviolation of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty\u201d, calling it \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d and warning it \u201ccan have serious consequences\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>It expressed concern that the \u201cillegal act\u201d took place despite the existence of several established channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran, adding that a \u201cstrong protest has already been lodged with the concerned senior official in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>It said: \u201cAdditionally, the Iranian Charge d\u2019affaires has been called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey our strongest condemnation of this blatant violation of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty and that the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPakistan 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,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, at least 11 Iranian police officers were killed in an attack overnight on a police station in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, while visiting the site, had urged Pakistan to prevent terrorist groups from establishing bases within its borders, the official news agency of Iran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1799082\">reported<\/a> at the time. He had also noted that initial investigations suggested the assailants had entered Iran from Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>FM Jilani in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart had strongly condemned the terrorist attack and reaffirmed Pakis\u00adtan\u2019s commitment to Iran in combating terrorism.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1798234\">Similar attacks<\/a> have occurred previously, including on July 23 last year when four policemen were killed while on patrol. That came two weeks after two policemen and four assailants were killed in a shootout in the province, claimed by Jaish Al Adl.<\/p>\n<p>In May, five Iranian border guards died in clashes with an armed group in Saravan, southeast of Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan.<\/p>\n<p>State media reported at the time that the attack was carried out by \u201ca terrorist group that was seeking to infiltrate the country\u201d, but its members \u201cfled the scene after suffering injuries\u201d.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Additional reporting by Abdullah Zehri.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani stressed Pakistan\u2019s right to respond in a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday following the \u201cunprovoked violation of its airspace\u201d by Tehran, according to the Foreign Office (FO). Earlier today, the FO said Pakistan decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and suspend all high-level visits ongoing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2024\/01\/172232481a74c8e.jpg?r=223422","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}