ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Sunday it hoped for full Iranian cooperation to investigate the killing of eight of its nationals in Sistan-Baluchistan province and was working to ensure the prompt repatriation of the victims’ bodies.
The news of the killings emerged in Pakistani media on Saturday evening, though the federal authorities initially remained silent.
Later at night, the foreign office confirmed the development in response to media queries, saying its officials were in contact with Iranian authorities and would comment once details were confirmed.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the attack, which was claimed by a Baloch separatist group, and voiced concern that the incident had occurred on Iranian soil.
“Eight Pakistani nationals were tragically killed yesterday in Mehrestan County, Sistan-Baluchistan province, located approximately 230 kilometers from the Pakistan-Iran border,” the foreign office said in a statement. “Our Mission has already requested consular access to verify their identities.”
“Pakistan strongly condemns the inhumane and cowardly killing of its nationals in Iran,” it continued. “We hope for Iranian side’s full cooperation in investigating the matter and timely repatriation of victims’ remains.”
The foreign office said the country’s embassy in Tehran and consulate in Zahedan were in constant touch with Iranian authorities to ensure a comprehensive investigation and swift transfer of the bodies.
A day earlier, Afghanistan’s Khaama Press News Agency reported the victims were all auto mechanics.
Thousands of Pakistanis, mostly from underprivileged backgrounds, regularly cross into Iran for informal work in industries such as auto repair, agriculture and construction.
The Balochistan National Army (BNA), a separatist group from Pakistan’s southwestern region, claimed responsibility for the killings, alleging that the victims were affiliated with Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency.
Balochistan, a resource-rich but restive province of Pakistan bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has witnessed a low-level insurgency for nearly two decades.
Baloch militant groups accuse the central government of exploiting local resources while neglecting the population. Islamabad denies the allegations and says it is committed to regional development.
On Saturday night, the Pakistani premier called on the Iranian government to investigate the attack thoroughly and publicly share its findings.
“Terrorism is a scourge that is devastating for all countries in the region,” he said, urging regional states to adopt a coordinated strategy to root out militancy.
The Iranian embassy in Islamabad also condemned the killings earlier today and emphasized the need for joint efforts to combat terrorism.
“Combating this ominous phenomenon requires collective and joint efforts by all countries to eradicate all forms of terrorism and extremism that have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people in recent decades,” it said.
The incident echoes a similar attack in January 2023, when nine Pakistani laborers were killed and three others critically injured in Saravan, another city in Iran’s southeastern region. Those victims were also reportedly employed at an auto repair shop.
That attack had taken place at a time when Pakistan and Iran were seeking to normalize ties following tit-for-tat missile and drone strikes.
Pakistan seeks Iran’s help to probe killing of eight nationals in Sistan-Baluchistan
https://arab.news/znfax
Pakistan seeks Iran’s help to probe killing of eight nationals in Sistan-Baluchistan
- The attack was claimed by Baloch separatists from Pakistan’s restive southwestern province
- Iranian embassy in Pakistan condemned the incident, calling for joint efforts to combat ‘terrorism’
Pakistan says it is targeting militant infrastructure in Afghanistan as Kabul threatens to hit Islamabad
- Ata Tarar says Pakistan is carrying out ‘precise intelligence-based operations’ to avoid civilian casualties
- Afghan defense minister says the underlying dispute between the two sides is over the ‘Durand Line’ border
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Saturday it was conducting intelligence-based operations against militant infrastructure inside Afghanistan while attempting to avoid civilian casualties, as a senior Afghan Taliban official warned Kabul could retaliate by targeting Islamabad if Pakistani forces struck the Afghan capital.
The escalating rhetoric comes as cross-border fighting between the two neighbors intensifies following clashes that began last month when Afghan forces launched attacks on Pakistani military installations along the frontier. Kabul said the assault was retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes targeting what Islamabad called militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said last week the situation had effectively become “open war” between the two countries.
“Pakistan is only targeting terrorist infrastructures and support system with precise intelligence based operations ensuring no collateral damage takes place,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said in a statement.
He challenged the recent claims made by an Afghan defense ministry spokesperson earlier this week who said his country was making significant battlefield gains against Pakistan including the killing of 109 soldiers and the capture or destruction of 14 military posts in large scale attacks.
“These so called attacks by Afghan Taliban in coordination with FAK [Fitna Al Khawarij] Terrorists once again confirm the nexus of Afghan Taliban regime and multiple terrorist organizations operating from within their territory,” Tarar continued. “All such attempts are responded to, immediately and effectively with severe retributive punishment that is swift, precise and effective.”
“The imaginary numbers being floated by Afghan Taliban regime are however not worth any serious comment,” he added.
Tarar said Pakistan’s military campaign — described as Operation Ghazb Lil Haq — had inflicted heavy losses on Afghan Taliban forces.
According to figures shared by the minister, 527 Taliban fighters had been killed and more than 755 injured since the clashes began, while 237 check posts were destroyed and 38 captured and destroyed. He said 205 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns were destroyed and 62 locations across Afghanistan had been targeted by air strikes.
Arab News could not independently verify the claims made by either side.
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES
Earlier this week, the United Nations raised concern over the toll of the escalating conflict on civilians.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday that 56 Afghan civilians — nearly half of them children — had been killed since hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified.
However, Tarar questioned the UN findings, saying its assertions appeared to rely heavily on information provided by Taliban authorities and did not adequately reflect independently verified intelligence.
“Pakistan categorically reiterates that all counter-terrorism operations conducted by its security forces are carried out with the highest degree of precision, professionalism, and responsibility,” he said.
Islamabad has long accused the Taliban government of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul denies.
“Operations are meticulously planned so that civilian areas remain completely safe,” the minister said. “The locations targeted are remote terrorist hideouts and facilities far removed from populated zones, including sensitive areas such as Kabul’s Green Zone.”
AFGHAN WARNING
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob issued a warning to Pakistan in remarks circulated by Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews.
“If Kabul lacks peace, there will be no peace in Islamabad. If Kabul is attacked, Islamabad will be attacked,” Yaqoob said in a promotional clip of an interview shared on social media.
Yaqoob rejected Pakistan’s justification that the presence of the TTP in Afghanistan warranted military action and suggested the underlying dispute was over the contested “Durand Line” border between the two countries.
So far, there has been no official response from Pakistan to Yaqoob’s remarks.
