Pak, Iran to collaborate against Islamic State

Pakistan and Iran have agreed to cooperate in countering threats posed by an extremist Middle Eastern terrorist outfit, which has set up a self-styled caliphate across large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.

The decision to collaborate efforts against the Islamic State, commonly known as Daesh, was taken during the ninth round of political consultations between the two countries on Saturday in Tehran, reports the Express Tribune.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry led the Pakistani delegation, while the Iranian side was led by Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Pacific Ebrahim Rahimpour.

"It was agreed that close cooperation was needed in countering extremism and terrorism, especially the threat posed by organisations such as Da'ish," said a statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office.

Tagged as 'political consultations' the bilateral process, which started some years back, had hit snags for the last two years. The last round of these consultations took place in Islamabad in October 2014.

According to the Foreign Office, the two sides held detailed discussions on issues of mutual interest, including political, trade, economic cooperation and security.

They also agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation and reviewed the regional situation.