Pakistan says Iran attacked border village with drones, warns of ‘serious consequences’

In this file photo, taken on February 25, 2020, Pakistani soldiers stand guard at the closed Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan. (AFP/File)
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Updated 17 January 2024
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Pakistan says Iran attacked border village with drones, warns of ‘serious consequences’

  • Iran state media said on Tuesday missiles and drones had targeted militant group Jaish Al-Adl in Balochistan
  • Pakistani officials say two children killed in attack in Koh e Baz, a tiny village 40 kilometers away from Pak-Iran border

QUETTA: A Pakistani paramilitary officer said on Wednesday Iran had attacked a border village inside Pakistan with drones a day earlier, killing two children and injuring three women as the foreign office in Islamabad warned Tehran of “serious consequences” for violating the country’s airspace.
Though the Iranian military and government have not yet officially commented on the assault, reports about it were first published by Iranian media, with Nournews, affiliated with the country’s top security body, saying Iran had attacked militant bases in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. The target of the attack was the Jaish Al-Adl militant group that Iran says has previously mounted attacks on Iranian security forces in the border area with Pakistan.
Abdul Hameed, the in-charge of the paramilitary Levies group in Balochistan’s Panjgur area where the attack took place, said drones were used to target homes in Koh e Baz, a tiny village of a handful of houses some 70 kilometers away from Panjgur city and around 40 kilometers from the mountainous Pak-Iran border. He said the attack took place at 530pm on Tuesday, killing two children between the ages of 7 and 10 and injuring three women who were inside a mud house.
“The Iranian forces launched the attacks with drones, because people in the area said they first heard the sound of the drone flying over them and then the missiles struck their houses,” Hameed told Arab News.
The foreign office condemned the “unprovoked violation of its airspace”.
“This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences.”

Pakistan’s statement did not mention the location of the incident, nor the nature of the airspace violation, but said a protest had been lodged with Tehran and the head of the Iranian mission in Islamabad had been called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” Pakistan’s statement said, adding that the incident had occurred despite the existence of several channels of communication with Iran.
On Monday, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards also attacked targets in Iraq and Syria with missiles.
Pakistan has a complex relationship with Iran, with which it shares a long border rife with cross-border militant activity.
Relations between the two neighbors are often strained as both sides accuse each other of not doing enough to stamp out militants allegedly sheltering across the border.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Jaish Al-Adl said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had attacked the houses of a number of its members with drones and rockets. The statement did not specify the exact location of the assault but said it took place “in the border mountains of Balochistan.”
“In this criminal attack, two minor children were martyred and two women and a teenage girl were seriously injured,” the group said.

 


Pakistan engages Saudi Arabia, China in bid to ease surging Middle East tensions 

Updated 10 March 2026
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Pakistan engages Saudi Arabia, China in bid to ease surging Middle East tensions 

  • Pakistan’s foreign minister stresses need for de-escalation in conversations with Chinese, Saudi counterparts
  • Tensions in the Middle East continue to remain high as conflict between US, Israel and Iran intensifies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and China on Tuesday, stressing the importance of diplomatic engagement to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East as the Iran war intensifies. 

Pakistan has constantly engaged regional countries in efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Middle East, after the US and Isreal launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. 

Iran launched fresh attacks on Gulf countries on Tuesday morning, where it has targeted US military bases in recent weeks. In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and American bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure which, combined with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, has sent oil prices soaring worldwide. 

Dar spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss developments in the Middle East and ongoing deliberations at the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement. 

“DPM/FM shared Pakistan’s perspective, underscoring the importance of continued coordination and diplomatic engagement to support de-escalation and promote peace and stability across the region and beyond,” the statement said. 

Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, spoke to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi over the telephone separately. The two discussed the evolving regional situation and broader global developments.

Dar underscored the need to ease tensions in the Middle East and the wider region during the conversation, the foreign office said. 

Yi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and stability in the region, it added. 

“The two leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation and emphasized the need to pursue dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” the foreign office’s statement said. 

The conflict in the Middle East has hit Pakistan hard as well, forcing Islamabad to hike petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per liter last Friday. 

Pakistan’s government has also announced a set of austerity measures, which include closing schools and cutting down on government expenditures, as it evaluates petrol stocks and looks for alternative supply routes.