ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI (Dunya News/Web Desk) – Pakistan on early Thursday morning struck the hideouts of outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) in Iran – a move that came in response to the earlier provocative Iranian cross-border missile strike.
The Pakistani forces, however, didn’t target any military installation or civilians during an operation “Marg Bar Sarmachar” and limited their action to the terrorist organisations which are operating in Balochistan while using the Iranian territory.
According to sources, Pakistan used missiles and rockets in pinpoint strikes on terrorists around 40 kilometres inside Iran. Several BLA and BLF leaders are present in the western neighbour along with their families, they added.
Later in the day, the ISPR said the military used drones, rockets and other weapons to target the terrorists – who were involved in terrorism acts in Pakistan – to avoid any collateral damage.
It said the dead terrorists included Dosta alias Chairman, Bajjar alias Soghat, Sahil alias Shafaq, Asghar alias Basham, Wazir alias Wazi and others.
According to the ISPR, the armed forces remain in a perpetual state of readiness to ensure safety of Pakistan’s citizens against acts of terrorism.
“Our resolve to ensure that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan is respected and safeguarded against any misadventure, remains unwavering. We reaffirm our determination to defeat all enemies of Pakistan with the support of the people of Pakistan.”
At the same time, the military’s media wing stressed the need for peace. “Going forward, dialogue and cooperation is deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues between the two neighbouring brotherly countries.”
Earlier, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a press release said Pakistan started carrying out a series of strikes in Sistan-Baluchistan – a province in Iran that borders Pakistan – on Thursday morning in a coordinated and systematic manner.
A number of terrorists were killed in the action, she said, adding that Pakistan would continue taking all the necessary steps for the safety and security of Pakistanis.
It was an intelligence-based operation, she said, adding that the move represented Pakistan’s unwavering determination to safeguard the country’s national security and defence.
At the same time, Baloch stressed, “Pakistan fully respects Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran.” However, she added that the sole purpose of targeting the terrorist centres in Iran to secure the country national security, which could never be compromised.
Pakistan fully believes in the UN Charter’s principles and objectives, but it will never allow anyone to challenge the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Foreign Office made it clear.
Baloch said Iran was a brotherly country and Pakistanis had high regard and love for the Iranian people, adding that Islamabad would continue working on joint efforts to solve the problem.
Earlier on Wednesday, Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani stressed that terrorism was a common threat to the region, underlining that unilateral actions could seriously undermine regional peace and stability.
Also, Pakistan decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and suspend all high-level visits following the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran on Tuesday night.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a televised press statement, said Pakistan had also conveyed that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, who was currently visiting Iran, might not return for the time being.
“We have conveyed this message to the Iranian government. We have also informed them that Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return for the time being,” the spokesperson remarked.
In its reaction, US State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller on Wednesday condemned the missile strike inside Pakistan and said Iran had violated the territorial integrity of three neighbouring countries.
He described Tehran as the biggest sponsor of terrorism and said the US forces in Iraq were present only because of Iran.