In a development which could completely isolate Pakistan in the South Asian region, Iran has joined India and Afghanistan in ripping into Pakistan for sheltering and exporting terrorism.
Head of the Iranian armed forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri has warned Islamabad that Tehran would hit bases inside Pakistan if it does not confront the Sunni terrorists who carried out the cross-border attacks in Shia-majority country.
The statement came days after ten Iranian border guards were killed by Sunni terror group Jaish-al-Adl, which is sheltered in Pakistan. The terrorists had shot the Iranian guards with long-range guns, fired from inside Pakistan.
Jaish al Adl, a Sunni terror group, which operates from Pakistani soil believe that Shia-majority Iran does not conform to Islam. The terror group is responsible for carrying out several attacks against Iranian security forces in the past. The terror organisation had claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed eight Iranian border guards in 2015 and 14 Iranian border guards in 2013.
“We cannot accept the continuation of this situation,” Major General Baqeri was quoted as saying by Iranian state news agency IRNA.
“We expect the Pakistani officials to control the borders, arrest the terrorists and shut down their bases,” Baqeri said.
Iran has hinted that it might be considering “surgical strikes” on Pakistani terror installations on the lines of India.
“If the terrorist attacks continue, we will hit their safe havens and cells, wherever they are,” the head of Iranian armed forces said.
In September last year, India conducted a surgical strikes on Pakistan’s terror installations in the wake of terror attacks on the Army camp at Uri which claims the lives of 19 Indian soldiers.
In 2014, Iran had warned that it would send troops to Pakistan to retrieve five Iranian border guards kidnapped by Jaish al Adl. Four of the Iranian guards were released a few months later, but one was killed by the terrorists.
Pakistan, which uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy, has been nurturing and paddling terrorism. It is a terror factory which is exporting terrorism in the South Asian region. The entire South Asian region has long been facing the consequence of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
