Following missile and drone strikes in Panjgur by forces loyal to Tehran, the Foreign Office (FO) declared on Wednesday that the nation is withdrawing its ambassador from Iran.
The incident was denounced by Pakistan as a “unprovoked violation” of Pakistani airspace, and the country issued a severe warning to Tehran. In a statement issued in the middle of the night, the FO had expressed their strong disapproval of the incursion into Pakistani territory.
Two “innocent children” and three girls were wounded in the strikes in the Panjgur district of Balochistan, which Tehran characterised as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl.
This unlawful deed is totally wrong and totally unjustified. Pakistan has the right to retaliate to this unlawful act, and Iran will bear the full weight of the repercussions, according to a brief statement by FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.
Also, the Iranian envoy to Pakistan, who is presently in Iran, will not be able to return to Islamabad, according to the spokesperson, and all high-level diplomatic engagements between Islamabad and Tehran will be suspended due to the invasion of Pakistani sovereignty.
The Iranian administration has received this message from us. Furthermore, we have informed them that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan is currently visiting Iran and may not return for the time being, and that Pakistan has chosen to withdraw its envoy from Iran.
A strike by Iran against Pakistan
According to Iranian state television, two Jaish al Adl facilities in Pakistan were blasted by missiles on Tuesday. The strikes came a day after Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards missiles struck a “Israeli spy centre” in Iraq and Islamic State terrorists in Syria.
“Missiles and drones hit and destroyed these bases,” Tehran-based media reported. The bases that were struck were in the Balochistan province, according to Iran’s Nournews, which is linked with the country’s main security authority.
While Iran asserted that the strikes had eliminated “terrorist hideouts,” Pakistan and its neighbouring country voiced significant disagreement and criticism. “This challenge to Pakistan’s independence is totally unacceptable and could lead to significant repercussions,” the FO statement said.
A militant group known as Jaish-al-Adl has been active out of the Iranian region of Sistan and Baluchistan since its establishment in 2012. The Iranian capital of Tehran has claimed that the group has bases in Pakistan.
Multiple strikes on Iran’s security forces have been claimed by the group since its formation. After the group’s February 2019 massacre of 27 security personnel, the Iranian government and military issued strong warnings to Pakistan.
Nonetheless, Tehran chose this option despite the presence of channels of communication between the two countries, thus Tuesday’s strike came as a significant surprise.
Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar met with the Iranian foreign minister on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the day the strikes were begun. Also visiting Islamabad recently was the Iranian president’s envoy for the Afghan cause.
The foreign ministry summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires shortly after the attack, and Pakistan made a strong protest with the relevant senior official in Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran shortly after.
Pakistan has consistently maintained, as stated in the statement, that all nations in the area face the same threat of terrorism and must work together to combat it.
