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Pakistan Infuriated by Iranian Army Chief-of-Staff Comments | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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An Iranian border guard looks through a pair of binoculars (Getty Images)


London– Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to Islamabad on Tuesday following threats by Iran’s military chief of staff to carry out strikes inside Pakistani territory on suspected bases of militants.

Islamabad strongly denounced the warnings of Iranian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri, and told Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost that such remarks were “against the spirit of brotherly relations between the two countries”.

“The Iranian side was urged to avoid issuance of such statements that could threaten the environment of fraternal relations,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

Baqeri threatened on Monday to strike Balochi bases in Pakistani territories if Islamabad failed to control its borders and stop militant activities near the eastern border regions of the country.

Baqeri said Tehran refuses to tolerate this situation in the joint borders with Pakistan, adding: “If the situation continues, we will hit terrorists’ safe havens anywhere they are.”

On Tuesday, a senior Iranian military official reiterated Iran’s commitment to launch strikes inside Pakistani territories.

Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, stressed his country’s “natural and legal right to destroy terrorists’ shelters”.

In remarks to local Iranian news agencies, Pourdastan expressed his regret on what he believed was Pakistan’s inability to fight terrorism.

Meanwhile, IRNA news agency quoted well-informed sources in Iran’s foreign ministry as saying that Tehran was aware of and welcomed Turkey’s plan to build a wall along the joint borders with the Persian state.

Earlier this week, Turkey’s Hurriyet daily said that the Turkish government was planning to build a wall along the border with Iran as part of measures against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“This should happen sooner and flow of illegal imports to Iran should be curbed,” the daily quoted an Iranian official as saying.