Pakistan asks Iran to take action against terrorist groups
(dpa)
Islamabad – Pakistan has asked Iran to take action against terrorist groups believed to be behind the killing of 14 soldiers earlier this week.
"We hope that Iran will take visible action," Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said of the groups, which Islamabad alleges are based in Iran.
He spoke at a press conference after talking to his Iranian counterpart.
Qureshi said 15 gunmen wearing military uniforms ambushed a bus in south-western Balochistan province on Thursday, killing 14 personnel from the Pakistan army.
Qureshi also said that Pakistan had decided to fence its 950-kilometre border with Iran, as a step toward improving security.
The attack took place ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first official visit to Tehran where he is scheduled to meet the Iranian leadership. The two-day trip starts Sunday.
"The prime minister will have detailed discussions in Iran so that such incidents do not take place," Qureshi said.
On Friday, the foreign ministry sent a letter to the Iranian embassy in Islamabad to lodge "strong protest" against the killings by "terrorist groups based in Iran."
An alliance of three Baloch terrorist organizations based in Iran has claimed responsibility for the attack, the letter said.
Pakistan has identified sites where the groups operate and shared the information with Iranian authorities, Qureshi said.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province. The volatile area borders Afghanistan and Iran and is targeted by Islamist militants and nationalist rebels.
Qureshi said 15 gunmen wearing military uniforms ambushed a bus in south-western Balochistan province on Thursday, killing 14 personnel from the Pakistan army.
Qureshi also said that Pakistan had decided to fence its 950-kilometre border with Iran, as a step toward improving security.
The attack took place ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first official visit to Tehran where he is scheduled to meet the Iranian leadership. The two-day trip starts Sunday.
"The prime minister will have detailed discussions in Iran so that such incidents do not take place," Qureshi said.
On Friday, the foreign ministry sent a letter to the Iranian embassy in Islamabad to lodge "strong protest" against the killings by "terrorist groups based in Iran."
An alliance of three Baloch terrorist organizations based in Iran has claimed responsibility for the attack, the letter said.
Pakistan has identified sites where the groups operate and shared the information with Iranian authorities, Qureshi said.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province. The volatile area borders Afghanistan and Iran and is targeted by Islamist militants and nationalist rebels.