Pakistan and Iran restored diplomatic ties after intel strikes

Pakistan and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties following an unprecedented escalation of cross-border tensions over counterterrorism operations.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar on Friday held an emergency National Security Council meeting and decided to defuse the tensions between Pakistan and Iran.

The NSC hoped that both countries “would mutually be able to overcome minor irritants through dialogue and diplomacy and pave the way to further deepen their historic relations”.

Kakar on Friday said that it was in the interest of both Iran and Pakistan to take steps to restore their relationship to the levels before the recent tensions. Pakistan and Iranian ambassadors will soon resume full level of diplomatic relations.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone conversation, calling for closer cooperation in various fields, including fighting terrorism and boosting border security.

Read Also : Pakistan recalls envoy from Tehran for violation of sovereignty

Mr Jalil Jilani expressed Pakistan’s readiness to work with Iran on all issues based on [a] spirit of mutual trust and cooperation,” said a statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. “He underscored the need for closer cooperation on security issues.”

The Iranian foreign minister also said in a statement that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan is of “great concern to us and it is imperative that the two countries work together to neutralize and destroy terrorist camps in Pakistan.”

Read also : Pakistan launched operation ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’ against BLA & BLF in Iran

On January 16, Iran targeted a designated terrorist group Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan.

On January 18, Pakistan retaliated by targeting Pakistan’s designated terrorist groups’ BLF and BLA in Sistan-Baluchestan province of Iran.