Diplomatic sources said that the Iranian minister will be accompanied by a delegation and will primarily hold talks on the terrorist incident in which nine Iranian border security guards were killed, which was claimed by the militant group Jaish al-Adl. It was followed by summoning of Pakistan's Ambassador in Tehran and according to Iranian media, the ambassador was told that Tehran expects the Pakistani side to take serious measures to capture the terrorists and punish them.
"Countries which seek joining anti-terrorist coalition must answer how they are incapable of countering armed bandits and terrorist groups on their own soil," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi was quoted as having said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, urging him for a "quick" probe into the attack by the Pakistani government. "I ask the Pakistani government to act responsibly and identify, introduce, and punish the terrorist-Takfiri groups that committed this crime," Rouhani's letter to Sharif read, which the Iranian media reported to have delivered by the Tehran's ambassador in Islamabad to the Prime Minister's office.
The sources said that the visiting Iranian foreign minister will hold talks with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and may also call on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
During his meetings with Pakistani authorities, the sources said that the two sides would also hold discussions on the situation in the Middle East with particular reference to the Islamic Military Alliance. Iran has earlier expressed concern over allowing the former Army Chief General Raheel Sharif (Retd) to head the military alliance. However, Pakistan conveyed to the Iranian side that the alliance is neither for nor against any other country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017