Pakistan always backed ‘isolated’ Iran at global level: Khar

ISLAMABAD: Former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday expressed concern over violation of Islamabad’s airspace by Tehran, saying that Pakistan has always supported Iran – which according to her is isolated globally.

Speaking on ARY News programme ‘11th Hour’, the PPP leader said that the act of ‘isolated’ was an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty.

“Pakistan has taken major steps to support Iran at global level,” Hina Rabbani Khar said, regretting that Tehran has compromised national interest for its regime.

She claimed that Iran’s regime took ‘drastic steps’ – which also included attacks on Iraq and Syria – to satisfy its people after some events that unfolded in its country. “Tension with Islamabad in such circumstances is not in Tehran’s interest,” she added.

Khar warned that Pakistan’s respond will be difficult to handle by Iran, saying that Islamabad itself has many responsibilities and “patience and forbearance” was shown.

The statement came after the Foreign Office (FO), in a statement released late on Tuesday night, denounced the strikes in Pakistani territory that resulted in “deaths of two innocent children while injuring of three girls”. It termed the incident a “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty”.

Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run Nour News agency said the attack destroyed the Pakistan headquarters of the Jaish al-Adl.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said the “focal point of this operation was the region known as Kouh-Sabz (green mountain)” in Balochistan.

“Two key strongholds of the Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) terrorist group in Pakistan” were “specifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks”, the Tasnim news agency said.

Earlier in the day, the FO said Pakistan decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and suspend all high-level visits ongoing or planned between the two countries following the incident.