After the week of subsequent military strikes on each other from both the ends, Pakistan and Iran have come to terms towards the de-escalation of the attacks.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani spoke to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday evening after the vigorous missile and drone strikes conducted by Iran in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing at least two children and injuring three. Tehran said the rare border intrusion targeted Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Muslim armed group accused of attacks inside the Iranian territory of Sistan-Baluchestan.
In a statement by Pakistan Foreign ministry, it was mentioned that the two have agreed to de-escalate the situation. “The two foreign ministers agreed that working level cooperation and close coordination on counter terrorism and other aspects of mutual concern should be strengthened”, the statement read.
After brief military strikes by Pakistan in fewer than 48 hours that killed at least nine people, including four children and three women, the Iranian media reported those killings to be of “non-Iranians”. The media implied that they could also be Pakistani nationals staying in the territory of Iran.
The tensions between Islamabad and Tehran toned down after United Nations along with their close ally China urged restraint between the two countries.
In a statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said Islamabad “fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. The Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded referring to “the friendly and brotherly government of Pakistan” on Friday.
The Ministry expected Pakistan “to adhere to its obligations in preventing the establishment of bases and the deployment of armed terrorist groups on its soil”, calling the safety of its citizens “a red line”. In response, Pakistan insisted it had struck targets in Iran “in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest which is paramount and cannot be compromised”.
After the three-month war in the Gaza Strip and the growing tension in Iran, the military strikes threatened to escalate into a broader conflict. The incident revealed the lack of trust between the neighbors that can prove fatal for the two in the future following the accusations both threw at one another.
