{"id":50086,"date":"2024-01-20T02:51:05","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T02:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/pakistan-resolves-to-lower-tensions-with-iran\/"},"modified":"2024-01-20T02:51:05","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T02:51:05","slug":"pakistan-resolves-to-lower-tensions-with-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/pakistan-resolves-to-lower-tensions-with-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan resolves to lower tensions with Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p><figure class=\"media  sm:w-full  w-full  media--stretch  \"><figcaption class=\"media__caption  \">Iran\u2019s envoy Seyed Rasoul Mousavi shakes hands with Rahim Hayat Qureshi, additional foreign secretary for Afghanistan and West Asia.\u2014X\/rasmou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 NSC meeting stresses engagement to address concerns; cabinet endorses body\u2019s decisions<br \/>\u2022 FMs agree to strengthen coordination to combat terrorism, discuss reappointment of ambassadors<br \/>\u2022 Iran conducts large-scale air defence drill employing drones to intercept hostile targets; Russia urges restraint<\/p>\n<p>ISLAMABAD: The National Security Committee (NSC), the country\u2019s premier authority on security and foreign policy, on Friday ratified the move towards reducing tensions between Pakistan and Iran and underscored a commitment to addressing mutual security concerns.<\/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\/1806777\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The NSC\u2019s meeting was convened to deliberate on the latest escalation with Iran following its cross-border strikes and Pakistan\u2019s retaliatory attack.<\/p>\n<p>Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar chaired the session, which was attended by caretaker ministers of defence, foreign affairs, finance, and information. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Staff, along with the heads of intelligence agencies, also participated in the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe forum (NSC) expressed that Iran is a neighbourly and brotherly Muslim country, and existing multiple communication channels between the two countries should be mutually utilised to address each other\u2019s security concerns in the larger interest of regional peace and stability,\u201d said a statement issued by the prime minister\u2019s office after the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>The statement marked a dramatic shift from heightened tensions earlier in the week, where both countries engaged in cross-border strikes and downgraded diplomatic relations. It laid the ground for opening a potential pathway towards renewed dialogue and diplomatic engagement.<\/p>\n<p>The NSC hoped that both countries \u201cwould mutually be able to overcome minor irritants through dialogue and diplomacy and pave the way to further deepen their historic relations\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The committee also reviewed border conditions and the readiness to effectively counter any future infringements on national sovereignty.<\/p>\n<p>It emphasised that any violation, under any pretext, would be met with the state\u2019s full force. It should be recalled that the first moves to de-escalation were witnessed hours after Pakistan executed retaliatory strikes against militant targets in what NSC described as \u201cungoverned space\u201d in Iran, where Pakistan-origin Baloch militants were residing.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"media  sm:w-full  w-full  media--stretch    media--uneven  media--stretch\"><figcaption class=\"media__caption  \">JALIL Abbas Jilani and Hossein\u00a0Amir-Abdollahian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cabinet briefed<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Later, during the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Kakar stressed that it would be beneficial for both Pakistan and Iran to work towards restoring their relationship to its pre-Jan 16 state. He said Pakistan was open to and would respond positively to any constructive initiatives from Iran. The cabinet, which met soon after the NSC\u2019s meeting, also endorsed the committee\u2019s decisions.<\/p>\n<p>According to the prime minister\u2019s office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefed the caretaker federal cabinet about the situation arising from the Iranian attack. The cabinet appreciated the armed forces\u2019 response to the breach of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPakistan is a law-abiding and peace-loving country and seeks friendly and cooperative relations with all countries, particularly its neighbours,\u201d the premier told the participants.<\/p>\n<p><strong>De-escalation moves<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nine people were killed in Pakistan\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1807026\/counterstrike-on-militant-hideouts-in-iran-evens-score\">attacks<\/a> carried out by multiple weapon systems under an operation named \u2018Marg Bar Sarmachar\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>First, Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in her media briefing on Thursday said Pakistan did not want to escalate the situation and that it believed in dialogue and cooperation for confronting common challenges, including the menace of terrorism.<\/p>\n<p>Her statement was soon followed by a similar conciliatory gesture from the military. \u201cGoing forward, dialogue and cooperation is deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues between the two neighbouring brotherly countries,\u201d the ISPR said.<\/p>\n<p>That sentiment was reciprocated by Iran, whose foreign ministry, in a late evening statement, said Iran \u201cadheres to the policy of good neighbourliness and brotherhood between the two nations and the two governments\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Foreign ministers\u2019 conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These exchanges set the stage for a <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ip2p8w9jiI\">phone conversation<\/a> between Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The two foreign ministers underscored the importance of collaboration and synchronising efforts at the operational level, with a specific focus on counterterrorism and other mutual concerns. They also committed to de-escalate tensions.<\/p>\n<p>Diplomats briefed on the conversation said it was marked by a positive and constructive tone from both sides.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Jilani expressed surprise over Iran\u2019s strike on Jan 16, citing the strong engagement and trust that has historically characterised the bilateral relations.<\/p>\n<p>He recalled Pakistan\u2019s repeated requests to Iran to present tangible proof backing its allegations of terrorist factions operating from Pakistani soil.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, during their phone call on Jan 2, Mr Jilani had reassured Iran of Pakistan\u2019s unwavering commitment to jointly combat terrorism.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking about Pakistan\u2019s counterstrike, he said Islamabad had shared intelligence reports with Tehran on multiple occasions regarding militants\u2019 sanctuaries within Iranian borders.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the two foreign ministers deliberated on the reappointment of each country\u2019s ambassadors to their respective capitals, signalling a move towards restoring diplomatic normalcy.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Jilani, the Iranian foreign ministry said, invited Mr Amira\u00adbdollahian to visit Islamabad.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian foreign minister, according to the Iranian side, emphasised that the assurances about security and military cooperation should be seriously pursued.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Russia calls for restraint<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Russia has also urged restraint. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday the escalation between Pakistan and Iran was cause for concern and was partly a consequence of the Gaza crisis. He said Russia was maintaining contacts with both sides through diplomatic channels.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Iranian drills<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Iran undertook a large-scale air defence drill employing drones to intercept hostile targets.<\/p>\n<p>The exercise, covering a vast area from Abadan in the southwestern Khuzestan province to Chahbahar in Sistan-Baluchestan, began on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The two-day drills, named \u201cDefenders of Velayat Skies 1402,\u201d involve the Khordad-3 air defence system, a domestically produced technology by the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). The air drills involved various military branches, including the army\u2019s air defence force, the IRGC\u2019s Aerospace Force, the air force, the navies of both the Islamic Republic and the IRGC, and the army\u2019s ground force divisions.<\/p>\n<p><em>Syed Irfan Raza also contributed to this report<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iran\u2019s envoy Seyed Rasoul Mousavi shakes hands with Rahim Hayat Qureshi, additional foreign secretary for Afghanistan and West Asia.\u2014X\/rasmou \u2022 NSC meeting stresses engagement to address concerns; cabinet endorses body\u2019s decisions\u2022 FMs agree to strengthen coordination to combat terrorism, discuss reappointment of ambassadors\u2022 Iran conducts large-scale air defence drill employing drones to intercept hostile targets; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50087,"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 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