By Muhammad Luqman
In a bid to avert Ormara like incidents in future, Pakistan has decided to construct fence along 950 kilometres long border with its western neighbour Iran besides conducting aerial monitoring of the frontiers.
The decision was announced just a day before Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan begins his first ever two-day visit to Iran on April 21 (Sunday).
“The terrorists behind the April 18 incident of the killing of 14 people in Balochistan’s Ormara town came from Iran,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a news conference in the capital Islamabad on Saturday.
“As much as 20 terrorists backed by Iran-based militant organization clad in camouflage uniform of the Frontier Corps entered Pakistan from Iran and conducted an attack ”, he added.
He confirmed that the target of the attack was personnel of Pakistan’s armed forces and as much as 10 Pakistan Navy officials embraced martyrdom in the process. He also confirmed the death of three officials of Pakistan Air Force and one from the Pakistan Coast Guards.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that a Baloch separatist organization has claimed the responsibility of the attack which was provided assistance from Iran.
He also lambasted India over its alleged involvement in recent terror attacks and said that we will never claim anything hastily without any solid evidence.
Qureshi said terrorists’ training camps in the border areas have been traced and expressed the hope that Iranian authorities will take action against such elements.
He recalled Pakistan’s security force had fully cooperated with Iran in ensuring recovery of the Iranian border guards who were abducted from the border areas last year in October.
“Pakistan and Iran enjoy long-standing ties. We have forensic evidence which we can share with Iranian officials,” he said.
He said that a southern command has been constituted with headquarters in Turbat as there would also be patrolling and helicopter surveillance along the border.
Qureshi spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Javed Zarif before the press conference and shared the sentiments and concerns of the Pakistani people with him. Zarif, Qureshi said, reassured him that Iran will trace the terrorists and help Pakistan in whatever way it can.
Zarif thinks this was an attack on the security of Pakistan, Qureshi said.
He said PM Imran Khan will be speaking to Iranian officials about the placement of certain mechanisms to avoid such incidents in the future on his two-day visit to Iran.
