Pakistan has no desire to escalate tension with Iran, FM Jilani tells Turkish counterpart

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Jilani said that Islamabad had no interest in escalating tensions with neighbouring Iran.

FM Jilani said this in a telephonic conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye Hakan Fidan.

In a post on X, the Foreign Office said that the two discussed ongoing developments between Pakistan and Iran. FM Jilani shared Pakistan’s perspective and the recent happenings.

Foreign Minister @HakanFidan of Turkiye called Foreign Minister @JalilJilani to discuss the ongoing developments between Pakistan and Iran. FM shared Pakistan’s perspective and the recent developments. He stated that Pakistan’s Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar was aimed at terrorist… pic.twitter.com/BCzKDHkRPK

— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 19, 2024

“Pakistan’s Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar was aimed at terrorist camps inside Iran,” he said.

The development comes hours after Pakistan struck terrorist hideouts inside the Iranian border a day after Tehran violated the country’s airspace and launched strikes in Balochistan.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan carried out effective strikes against hideouts inside Iran used by terrorists responsible for recent attacks in Pakistan.

“In early hours of 18 January 2024, Pakistan carried out effective strikes against hideouts inside Iran used by terrorists responsible for recent attacks in Pakistan. The precision strikes were carried out using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons. Maximum care was taken to avoid collateral damage,” the military wing said while sharing details about operation Marg Bar Sarmachar.

The ISPR said that hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation (BLF) Front were successfully struck in an intelligence based operation, code name ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’.

“The targeted hideouts were being used by notorious terrorists including Dosta alias Chairman, Bajjar alias Soghat, Sahil alias Shafaq, Asghar alias Basham and Wazir alias Wazi, amongst others,” it added.

Pakistan Armed Forces remain in a perpetual state of readiness to ensure safety of Pakistan citizens against acts of terrorism, it said.

“Our resolve to ensure that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan is respected and safeguarded against any misadventure, remains unwavering. We reaffirm our determination to defeat all enemies of Pakistan with the support of the people of Pakistan,” the military’s media wing said.

“Going forward, dialogue and cooperation is deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues between the two neighbouring brotherly countries,” it added.