"Pakistan has noted with serious concern the statement by the Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli that Iran would send forces into Pakistan to free five border guards who were kidnapped by the militants on February 6, 2014 from the border region about 5-km inside Iranian territory," said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam while reacting to the statement.
However, she stated that the government of Pakistan regretted the suggestions of negligence on its part over the incident, especially when Pakistan's active support against terrorists groups in the past, was well-known and acknowledged by Iran.
She said Pakistan had already informed the Iranian authorities that its Frontier Corps teams had intensively combed the entire region but could not verify the entry or presence of those Iranian border guards on its territory. It was therefore possible that the miscreants along with the abducted border guards were still hiding within the Iranian territory, she added. The spokesperson further said the security organisations of both the countries were in regular contact and a senior level Pak-Iran border meeting was scheduled in Quetta on Wednesday (today), in which relevant information would be exchanged.
"It shall, however, be emphasised that the Iranian forces have no authority to cross our borders in violation of the international law. We must respect each other's borders," she cautioned. Earlier on Monday, Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli was quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as having said that Iran would send its forces into Pakistani territory to free kidnapped border guards if Islamabad did not take measures to secure their release. "If Pakistan doesn't take the needed steps to fight the terrorist groups, we will send our forces to Pakistani soil. We will not wait for this country," the Iranian Interior Minister was quoted as telling the Mehr news agency.