Pakistan summons Iranian envoy over attack threat

Islamabad on Tuesday cautioned Tehran that a warning by the Iranian Army chief to hit militant havens inside Pakistan violated the "spirit" of "brotherly" ties with Iran.

Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost was summoned to convey Pakistan's concerns a day after Maj Gen Mohammad Baqeri warned that Tehran would hit the "militant safe havens" in Pakistan if the anti-Iranian militants who carried out cross-border attacks last month were not checked.

Ten Iranian border guards died in the attack.

"We expect Pakistani officials to control the borders, arrest the terrorists and shut down their bases," Baqeri said on Monday. "If the terrorist attacks continue, we will hit their safe havens and cells, wherever they are."

 

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said the Iranian envoy was told that Tehran should refrain from making statements that can harm bilateral relations.

Zakaria said an agreement had already been reached to enhance cooperation on border issues during the visit to Pakistan of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on May 3.

--IANS

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