Pakistan recalls envoy to Iran over airstrikes on terror bases in Balochistan

Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Iran and suspended all planned high-level bilateral visits, hours after Tehran launched an unprecedented missile and drone strikes on what it said were directed at the bases of a terrorist group in the restive Balochistan province.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch in a terse statement read out to the media also said that the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return to Islamabad for the time being. Pakistan also reserves the right to retaliate to the provocation by Iran, she said.

Two bases of the Sunni Baloch militant group 'Jaish al-Adl' in Pakistan's unruly Balochistan province were targeted by missiles and drones on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported, a day after Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards attacked targets in Iraq and Syria with missiles.

"We have also informed them (Iran) that Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan, now on a visit to Iran, may not return for the time being. We have also decided to suspend all high-level visits which were ongoing or were planned between Pakistan and Iran in coming days,” Baloch said.

She said that last night’s "unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan's sovereignty by Iran is a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations".

"This illegal act is completely unacceptable and has no justification whatsoever. Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act. The responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” Baloch said, adding that Pakistan has conveyed this message to the Iranian Government.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran had repeatedly warned Islamabad to prevent anti-Iran cross-border operations, state-run Press TV reported.

"The so-called Jaish al-Adl group, which is an Iranian terrorist group, was targeted," Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that this was a response to the recent attacks on Iran by the group, which he said is linked to Israel.

"None of the nationals of the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan were targeted by Iranian missiles and drones," he was quoted as saying by the channel.

Jaish al-Adl, or the "Army of Justice", is a Baloch Sunni militant group founded in 2012 that largely operates in Pakistan. Iran has fought in border areas against the militants, but a missile-and-drone attack on Pakistan would be unprecedented for Iran.

Iran's attack has raised tensions in the volatile region, already roiled by Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and targeting of the merchant ships in Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires here to the foreign ministry and issued a strongly-worded condemnation of Iran's "violation of its airspace".

The Foreign Office described the incident as an "unprovoked violation of its airspace" by Iran. It said the attack killed two children and injured three others.

The strikes were launched the day Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar met with the Iranian foreign minister on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos.

The Foreign Office of Pakistan did not mention the location where the casualties took place. However, it is suspected that the bases were in Panjgur in Balochistan province.

Local authorities in Panjgur preferred to remain silent on the attacks, but some confided that the missile attacks also hit a mosque, partially damaging it and injuring civilians.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said that "two key strongholds of the Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) terrorist group in Pakistan” were “specifically targeted and successfully demolished.” Claiming that the area targeted is called "Green Mountain", the agency said that the bases were targeted by a combination of missile and drone attacks.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan has "always said terrorism is a common threat to all countries in the region that requires coordinated action. Such unilateral acts are not in conformity with good neighbourly relations and can seriously undermine bilateral trust and confidence." Pakistan's major political parties strongly condemned Iran's attack and said that the serious deterioration of relations with Iran is "worrisome".

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf said this “irresponsible and reprehensible act by Iran” will sabotage the possibilities of much-needed unity among the Muslim Ummah in this hour of need.

“After India and Afghanistan, the serious deterioration of relations with Iran is very concerning and worrisome which speaks volumes about our failed foreign and defense policies,” it said, adding that in February 2019, when India tried to violate Pakistan's land and airspace, the then prime minister Imran Khan "provided strong political leadership and gave a prompt and befitting reply".

On February 26, 2019, India’s fighter planes crossed over into Pakistani air space and carried out attacks on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was shocked by the Iranian attack, which was against the spirit of friendship between the two countries.

"I am shocked at the Iranian breach of Pakistani sovereignty. This missile attack is against the spirit of our friendship and principles of good neighbourliness, especially as it undermines the historic relationship between our two countries,” he said.

"Sincere dialogue and meaningful cooperation between our two countries is the need of the hour. My condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the attack,” he added.

Bilawal Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) demanded the government to give a swift response to this act of Iran.

Last month, at least 11 Iranian police officers were killed in an attack overnight on a police station in the southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan in Iran, according to Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who blamed the Jaish al-Adl for the incident.

Over the years, the troubled Balochistan province has become a hotbed for terror attacks, and many banned religious terror, and separatist outfits have also used its soil to carry out attacks against Pakistan's security personnel and installations.