On 17th January, after Iran’s deadly missile and drone strike in Balochistan, Pakistan reportedly struck back. Quoting multiple Pakistani sources, India Today reported that Pakistan has launched air strikes, hitting multiple ‘militant’ targets within Iranian territory. Terming Iranian missile attacks on terrorist locations in Pakistan as an “illegal act”, Pakistan claimed it has the right to respond to such attacks.
Terror attack in Iran
Soon after Iran attacked terror organisations in Pakistan, an army official was reportedly shot dead by terrorists in Iran. The incident occurred in southeastern Iran, next to Pakistan and Afghanistan. As per reports, the deceased official was part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The investigating agencies in Iran are attempting to apprehend the culprits behind the attack.
Pakistan condemned the Iranian attack on its soil
Notably, Pakistan condemned Iran for the missile and drone strike in Pakistani territories. Two children were reportedly dead, and three others were injured in the strikes. Pakistan called it an “unprovoked violation” of its sovereignty and airspace. India’s hostile neighbour further claimed that the Iranian attack was against international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
India called it a matter between Iran and Pakistan
Replying to a media query on the Iran-Pakistan conflict, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said, “This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan. Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self-defense.”
Our response to media queries regarding Iran's air strikes in Pakistan:https://t.co/45NAxXTpkG pic.twitter.com/1P4Csj5Ftb
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 17, 2024
Iran admitted to strikes in Pakistan
Iranian foreign minister admitted to missile and drone strikes in Pakistani territory. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Iran’s FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahain said the strikes in Pakistan targeted an “Iranian terrorist group”, and that the Tehran government had asked Pakistan several times to take action on the group. “The so-called Jaish al-Adl group, which is an Iranian terrorist group, was targeted,” he said.
Pakistan expelled Tehran’s envoy
Following the attack, Pakistan expelled the Tehran envoy and recalled its ambassador. “Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan, who is currently visiting Iran, may not return for the time being,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said while addressing a press briefing in Islamabad.
“Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act, and the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” Baloch said, adding that Islamabad had conveyed the message to the Iranian government.
Iran attacked terror group in Pakistan
On 16th January, Iran attacked the headquarters of a terrorist group with drones and missiles inside Pakistan’s territorial borders, as per reports. Two important headquarters of Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) in Pakistan were destroyed, Al Arabiya News reported, citing Tasnim News Agency.
The strikes were concentrated in an area in Pakistan’s Balochistan where “one of the largest headquarters” of Jaish al-Adl was located, the report said.
Formed in 2012, Jaish al-Adl, designated as a “terrorist” organisation by Iran, is a Sunni terrorist group that operates in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, Al Arabiya News reported. Over the years, Jaish al-Adl has launched numerous attacks on Iranian security forces. In December, Jaish al-Adl took responsibility for an attack on a police station in Sistan-Baluchistan that claimed the lives of at least 11 police personnel, according to Al Arabiya News reported.
