The security situation in the country just became a little more complex than it already is after the attack that took place earlier this week where four security personnel were martyred during “terrorist activity” from across the Pakistan-Iran border in Balochistan’s Panjgur district. This is of course not the first time this has happened, but considering the restive situation at the Afghan border and the perpetual tension on the east, we cannot afford to have another front opened.
As per reports, the militants used Iranian soil to target a convoy of security forces patrolling along the border. The ISPR put out a statement that Tehran has been asked to hunt down the terrorists on their side, and on Thursday the Foreign Office (FO) also strongly condemned the incident and hoped that Iran would take swift action against those responsible.
While these are standard statements that have been issued in the past as well, both Islamabad and Tehran need to pursue closer cooperation in the area of border security. As mentioned, terror groups have used Iranian soil in the past against Pakistan, and the opposite has been the case as well. Therefore, this is a mutual threat which must be addressed together. The channels of communication already exist, so they should be activated at the earliest because the security forces cannot be engaged at multiple fronts at this point in time.
Ties between Islamabad and Tehran have remained stagnant of late—despite there being several development projects in the pipeline—primarily because of Iran’s deteriorating relations with the West and Pakistan having to walk a tightrope because of its close partners in the Gulf. Despite these constraints, it is imperative that we continue to sustain a certain level of cooperation, especially when it comes to security issues. After all, we have long standing ties with Iran and share a border with it, so reason dictates that such mutual threats should be tackled in a collaborative manner that addresses the concerns of both the parties.