After Iranian missiles struck two bases of the militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan, India reacted to the incident. India has clarified that this is an issue that involves Iran and Pakistan.
Moreover, with the Iranian side claiming that the attack was not on “friendly” Pakistanis but rather was on an Iranian “terrorist group” Jaish al-Adl, India reiterated its longstanding position on terrorism saying that it has “zero tolerance” towards it.
“This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan. Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising zero tolerance towards terrorism,” foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to the media queries regarding the Iranian strikes in Pakistan.
“We understand actions that countries take in their self-defence,” he added in a statement issued on Wednesday (Jan 17).
In a mere coincidence, the tensions between Iran and Pakistan flared up just as India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar wrapped up his visit to Iran, a country with which India holds friendly relations.
The targeted strike carried out by Tehran comes at a crucial juncture when the Red Sea situation is escalating amid the rampant attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on the shipping route.
Pakistan, in a gesture of condemnation, recalled its envoy from Iran on Wednesday (Jan 18). Additionally, the Iranian envoy to Pakistan will not be allowed to enter the South Asian nation following the “airspace violation.”
“This illegal act is completely unacceptable and has no justification whatsoever,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act. The responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” it added.
The group which was allegedly attacked by Iran had a history of carrying out attacks on Iranian security forces in the border area with Pakistan. For instance, 11 police officers were killed on December 15 in a deadly attack by the group’s operatives on a police station.
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Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian claimed, “We only targeted the Iranian terrorist group on the soil of Pakistan. We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, but we don’t allow national security to be compromised or played with.” According to Pakistan, two children were killed in the missile attack by Iran while three others were left injured.
(With inputs from agencies)
