Pakistan-Iran agree to joint border operations

Visiting Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli said Tuesday that Pakistan has agreed to joint operations against terrorists and drug traffickers in the border regions.

Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, however, said that security forces of both countries would carry out operations on their respective sides of the border, Xinhua reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad after holding talks on security issues, the two sides agreed to coordinate on security and border issues.

The relationship between the two neighbouring countries has been tense in recent months after a militant group kidnapped five Iranian guards.

Iran had claimed that the group "Jaish-ul-Adal" had abducted the guards to Pakistan in February, but Pakistan said the guards had not been brought to the Pakistani side.

Nisar told the news conference that there would be closer intelligence cooperation, greater security collaboration and greater sharing of information.

The Iranian minister, who also met Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said his side raised important issues to promote and expand security and economic cooperation between the two countries.