On Monday, Iranian Interior Minister Dr Ahmad Vahidi arrived in Islamabad on a day-long visit, where held meetings with PM Imran Khan and other government officials. Issues relating to the Pak-Iran border management and the exchange of prisoners were discussed during the talks. Pakistan has also been erecting a fence along the border, which is expected to be completed within a year.

It is pertinent to note that the visit follows a string of militant attacks in Balochistan—which shares a long and porous border with Iran. Intelligence had indicated that militants were launching these attacks from Afghanistan and Iran. Sources reveal that during his maiden visit, Dr Vahidi will be explaining his country’s position on the matter of Iranian soil being used by militant groups. This is a difficult conversation to have, but an absolutely necessary one to safeguard our national interests.

Given the nature of the attacks and the kind of equipment the terrorists had access to, the question of provision of safe havens across the border and the supply of weapons must be discussed. It is encouraging to note that Iranian officials have also indicated their wishes to clamp down on militant groups on their soil and would like to discuss how security mechanisms can be enhanced.

This is a regional threat that requires collaboration to ensure that our borders can be kept safe. The presence of groups such as IS also threatens Iran and other countries in the neighbourhood. These groups have operational linkages and the network keeps on expanding once they gain a foothold in the presence of a power vacuum. Given the nature of the threat, what we need is a lot more cooperation among partners in the region to eradicate the presence of terrorist groups. Not only is this seriously threatening the internal security of several countries, but it is also holding the region back from prospering.