Iran’s foreign minister was in Pakistan for talks Monday, as both nations sought to ease tensions after deadly cross-border strikes threatened the diplomatic relations between the two neighbours.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry shared pictures and video of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arriving in Islamabad late Sunday, saying he would hold talks with his local counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani and call on caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.
Earlier this month, Pakistan launched air strikes on what it called “militant targets” in Iran, two days after similar Iranian strikes on its territory. The tit-for-tat raids in the porous border region of Balochistan stoked regional tensions already inflamed by the Israel-Hamas war.
Foreign Minister of Iran @Amirabdolahian has arrived in Islamabad at the invitation of Foreign Minister @JalilJilani. He was received at the Nur Khan airbase by Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) @RahimHayat.During the visit, Foreign Minister Abdollahian… pic.twitter.com/97dNxXwmxE
— Spokesperson MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 28, 2024
Read More: ‘An Attempt to Spoil Relations’: Pak Foreign Minister after Gunmen Kill 9 Near Iran’s Border Area
On Saturday, gunmen in southeastern Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan province killed nine people, with Islamabad’s ambassador identifying them as Pakistanis. Pakistan Foriegn Minister on Saturday expressed grief over the killing of nine Pakistani nationals by gunmen in southeastern Iran. “Saddened over the death of Pakistanis in Iran in a terrorist attack. This heinous attack is an attempt to spoil relations between Pakistan and Iran by our common enemies. While offering condolences to the families of victims, urge the Iranian govt for action,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Sistan-Balochistan is one of the few mainly Sunni Muslim provinces in Shiite-dominated Iran. It has seen persistent unrest involving cross-border drug-smuggling gangs and rebels from the Baluch ethnic minority. The initial Iranian strikes, which Pakistan said killed at least two children, prompted Islamabad to recall its ambassador from Tehran and blocked Iran’s envoy from returning to his post. Tehran also summoned Islamabad’s charge d’affaires over Pakistan’s strikes, which left at least nine people dead. The two countries, however, have since resumed diplomatic missions.
(With agency inputs)
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