ISLAMABAD: Following retaliatory strikes by Pakistan against Iran, Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Friday said Islamabad had no interest or desire in escalation.
This he said in a telephonic conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye Hakan Fidan. Both the dignitaries discussed the ongoing developments between Pakistan and Iran.
FM Jilani shared Pakistan’s perspective and the recent happenings. “Pakistan’s Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar was aimed at terrorist camps inside Iran,” he said.
The phone call came a day after the exchange of positive messages between the top Pakistani and Iranian officials.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch shared a tête-à-tête between Additional Foreign Secretary Rahim Hayat Qureshi and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Rasoul Mousavi on her X handle, saying: “Some positive exchanges.”
The development comes hours after Pakistan launched strikes on terrorists’ hideouts inside Iran on Thursday, in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran violated the country’s sovereignty by launching a strike in Balochistan that left two children dead and injured three girls.
In a statement, the Pakistan Army said the hideouts used by terrorist militant organisations, namely Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), were successfully struck in an intelligence-based operation, code named — “Marg Bar Sarmachar”.
In an X post today, the FO additional secretary responded to his Iranian counterpart letter saying he reciprocated the sentiments of “dear brother Seyed Rasoul Mousavi”.
He said Pakistan and Iran have fraternal relations and the countries to move forward to resolve all issues through positive dialogue.
He said it is important to restore trust and confidence that has always defined bilateral relations between the two countries.
“Our common challenges including terrorism require coordinated action,” he added.
Mousavi said he believed that Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the endpoint of the prevailing tensions between the two countries.
“Leaders and high officials of both countries know that only terrorists and enemies of both countries benefit from the existing tension between the two neighboring countries,” he wrote on X in Persian.
Read more: “Marg Bar Sarmachar”: At least 9 killed near Iran’s southeast border
