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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Pakistan officially restores all ties with Iran after short-lived spat</h1><p class="gmail-">Pakistani and Iranian officials are working to cool tensions following a series of cross-border strikes between the two states
</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://new.thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">News Desk</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span>JAN 19, 2024 - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://new.thecradle.co/articles/pakistan-officially-restores-all-ties-with-iran-after-short-lived-spat">https://new.thecradle.co/articles/pakistan-officially-restores-all-ties-with-iran-after-short-lived-spat</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="http://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/f26e5986-b6e5-11ee-bf87-00163e02c055.jpeg" alt="" width="391" height="206" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>(Photo credit: Vecteezy)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span><p>Pakistan
officially moved to restore all diplomatic ties with Iran on 19 January
after a brief diplomatic row as both sides fired missiles into each
other's lands.</p><p>“The apex security committee has decided to restore
full diplomatic ties with Tehran, including sending back the
ambassador, as both sides agreed to de-escalate the situation after
retaliatory strikes,” local media reported.</p><p>Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also spoke over the phone with his Pakistani counterpart, <span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Jalil Abbas Jilani, telling him that “Pakistan is of high importance in Iran’s foreign policy."</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">For
his part, Jilani expressed Islamabad's “readiness to work with Iran on
all issues based on the spirit of mutual trust and cooperation” and
urged for ”closer cooperation on security issues."</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">“Pakistan
and Iran have fraternal relations and shall move forward to resolve all
issues through positive dialogue. It is important to restore trust and
confidence that has always defined our bilateral relations. Our common
challenges, including terrorism, require coordinated action,” Pakistan’s
Additional Foreign Secretary, Rahim Hayat Qureshi, said via social
media on 18 January, addressing Iranian diplomat Rasoul Mousavi. </span></p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div> <p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Via
his account, Mousavi said that tensions between the two countries are
at an “endpoint,” adding that “leaders and high officials of both
countries know that only terrorists and enemies of both countries
benefit from the existing tension between” Pakistan and Iran. </span></p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div> <p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Pakistani jets launched </span><a href="https://new.thecradle.co/articles/pakistan-bombs-terrorist-hideouts-in-iran-in-tit-for-tat-strike"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">airstrikes</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
on Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province on 18 January, targeting
separatist militants operating on the Iranian side of the border. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">“This
morning, Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and
specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist
hideouts in the Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. Several
terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation codenamed
Marg Bar Sarmachar,” the </span><a href="https://mofa.gov.pk/press-releases/operation-marg-bar-sarmachar"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Pakistani Foreign Ministry </span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">said. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">The
strikes targeted the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), also referred to as
Sarmachar, a separatist group seeking autonomy in the Pakistani
province of Balochistan, which has been engaged in a guerrilla
insurgency against Pakistani authorities for decades. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">The strikes appeared to be in response to the series of</span><a href="https://new.thecradle.co/articles/iran-pledges-no-limits-in-national-defense-as-pakistan-protests-cross-border-attack"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> Iranian airstrikes</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
launched on Pakistan on the night of 16 January, targeting what Tehran
said was the headquarters of the Jaish al-Adl extremist group. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Civilians were killed in both the Iranian and Pakistani strikes. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Jaish
al-Adl is responsible for several attacks on southeast Iran, including
one last month, which killed 11 Iranian police officers in the town of
Rask. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">On 17 January, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian </span><a href="https://new.thecradle.co/articles/pakistan-militants-struck-by-iran-have-israel-ties-amir-abdollahian"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">accused</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> the group of being linked to Israel. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Formerly known as Jundallah, the group has long-standing ties to Western intelligence agencies. ABC News</span><a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0405/p99s01-duts.html"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> reported</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
in 2007 that, according to unnamed US and Pakistani intelligence
sources, the group has been "secretly encouraged and advised" by the US
government since 2005.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Extremist
groups and separatist militias have long operated on both sides of the
porous border between the two nations. While tensions exist due to the
presence of such organizations, further escalation is not expected. </span></p></span></div></div></div></div>
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