Pakistan declared on Wednesday that it is stopping all bilateral relations with Iran and withdrawing its ambassador from the nation. This action is a protest against what Pakistan claims to be an Iranian security forces “unprovoked” cross-border deadly airstrike. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out an airstrike in the Pakistani border province of Baluchistan, purportedly targeting the bases of the anti-Iranian militant group Jaish al-Adl, also known as the Army of Justice. Two “innocent children” died as a result of the airstrikes, according to Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, and numerous other Pakistani civilians were injured.
Pakistan decided to recall its ambassador, halt bilateral relations, and issue a warning about its right to respond to any act that it believes to be illegal by Iran because it sees this as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and international law.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, defended the overnight attack while speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He asserted that Iranian missiles and drones hit “Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan,” denying that any Pakistani nationals were the target. Later, Amir-Abdollahian informed Jalil Abbas Jilani, the foreign minister of Pakistan, that Jaish ul-Adl is a terrorist organization that threatens the two nations’ shared security.
Jilani responded by emphasizing the incident’s major negative impact on Pakistan-Iran bilateral ties. The cross-border operation came after Iran described Tehran’s strikes on targets in Syria and Iraq as “anti-Iranian terrorist groups.”
Shortly after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the Davos forum, Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, ordered an attack on suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan. In an effort to improve cooperation, the Iranian and Pakistani navies conducted a combined naval training exercise in the northern Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz at the same time as the strikes.
Hardline and opposition groups in Pakistan demanded a military response to what they saw as Islamabad’s measured response to Tehran’s aggression. Others, like Senator Mushahid Hussain, highlighted Pakistan’s need to exercise caution despite possessing nuclear weapons.
China emphasized the need for both countries to exercise restraint and to respect territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty. Relations between Iran and Pakistan have long been tense due to allegations on both sides of supporting armed anti-state organizations. Acting against purported Jaish al-Adl bases in Baluchistan is what Iran has urged Pakistan to do.
Iran attributed the recent attack in Pakistan to Jaish al-Adl’s December raid on Iranian police forces in Rask, Sistan-Baluchistan. Iran insists on preserving its national security even as it recognizes Pakistan’s sovereignty. On the other hand, Islamabad claims that anti-Pakistan ethnic Baluch insurgent groups operate from the Iranian side of the border, resulting in murderous assaults on Pakistani security personnel and civilians in Baluchistan.
