Islamabad, 17 Jan. 2024 (APP/Irna)

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Wednesday firmly underscored that the attack conducted by Iran inside Pakistani territory, on January 16, was not only a serious breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty but was also an egregious violation of international law and the spirit of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran.

“Expressing Pakistan’s unreserved condemnation of the attack, the Foreign Minister added that the incident has caused serious damage to bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran. The Foreign Minister added that Pakistan reserved the right to respond to this provocative act,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release.

The caretaker foreign minister who is currently leading the Pakistan delegation to the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kampala, Uganda, received a telephone call from Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

Stressing that terrorism was a common threat to the region and required concerted and coordinated efforts to combat this menace, Foreign Minister Jilani underlined that unilateral actions could seriously undermine regional peace and stability.

No country in the region should tread this perilous path, he stressed.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Amirabdollahian said that the target of the cross-border airstrikes on Tuesday night were "Iranian terrorists present on Pakistani soil".

Reports said on Tuesday night that positions of Jaish al-Adl terrorist group had come under attack in the restive Baluchistan region, which borders Iran.

“We targeted Jaish al-Adl, not Pakistani citizens,” Amirabdollahian confirmed in his speech.

“We have no tolerance for terrorists operating within the territories of Iraq and Pakistan, posing a threat to Iran's security. We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, but we won't allow Iran's security to be compromised,” he added.

The airstrikes came a day after Iran launched a series of missile strikes targeting an Israeli espionage center in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and Daesh terrorist positions in Syria’s Idlib.

“We consider the security of Iraq and Pakistan to be that of the security of Iran,” Amirabdollahian said.

Iran’s interior minister issued a warning to Pakistan to stop the Jaish al-Adl terrorists from launching attacks in Iran, after 11 Iranian policemen were killed in the southeastern city of Rask in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, which borders Pakistan.

Elsewhere in his speech at the Davos forum, Amirabdollahian warned about the repercussions of continued Israeli war on Gaza for the entire region.

“Lebanon is currently engaged in war, and we witness conflicts in the Red Sea. Today, we see the genocide, intensified fighting, and the deliberate starvation of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.

Iran’s top diplomat said that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu must understand that continuing the war on Gaza is not the solution to his problems. “Hamas will not be destroyed by war, and Israeli captives will not be set free.”

During the telephone conversation on Wednesday, Amirabdollahian and Jilani exchanged views on the latest situation of mutual ties between the two countries.

Expressing satisfaction with the friendly ties between the two countries, Amirabdollahian emphasized the importance of continuing cooperation and close contacts between the two countries' officials in various fields.

Emphasizing the respect of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its friendly neighbor of Pakistan, the top Iranian diplomat highlighted that "Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity are strongly our concern".

Describing Pakistan’s security as Iran’s security in the region, Amirabdollahian highlighted that the so-called “Jaish Al-Adl” terrorist group acts against the joint security of the two countries.

He went on to say that Iran's security has been repeatedly threatened by this Iranian terrorist group from Pakistan's soil, and the group has repeatedly claimed responsibility for terrorist acts on Iran's territory.

Amirabdollahian added that the anti-terrorist operation of the Islamic Republic of Iran was against this Iranian terrorist group and no Pakistani national was attacked during the operation.

Jilani, for his part, pointed to the common ideals of the two countries and the history of Iran and Pakistan in defending each other, as well as fighting terrorism, emphasizing that Iran's security is Pakistan's security and whenever there is a threat on Pakistani soil against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Pakistani government has taken action against it.

Referring to the various fields of cooperation between the two countries, he called on the Iranian side to provide information about terrorist groups on Pakistani soil in line with joint cooperation between the two countries.

He stressed that Islamabad expects the fight against terrorist groups in Pakistan to be carried out by Pakistani forces.