Pakistan set o allay Iran security concerns: Minister

Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rasheed has reaffirmed Islamabad’s resolve to allay Iran’s concerns over the security situation in border areas.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Rasheed noted that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif intends to arrange an immediate visit to Iran to address the protests of Iranian officials over the security threats on common borders.

Rasheed described Iran as Pakistan’s “friend and neighboring brother” and noted that Islamabad will devote all its efforts to consolidate its relations with Tehran.

The comments come amid Iran’s growing concerns about the deteriorating security situation on its border with Pakistan.

On February 6, the terrorist group Jaish-ul-Adl kidnapped five Iranian border guards in Jakigour region in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan and took them to the Pakistani territory. On March 23, the terror group claimed that it had killed one of the hostages.

On Friday, four of the five abducted border guards were reportedly released and, along with the body of the slain soldier, handed over to Iran’s liaison in Pakistan.

On October 25, 2013, the terrorist group killed 14 Iranian border guards and wounded six others in a border region near the city of Saravan in Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province.

Iran and Pakistan signed a security agreement in February 2013, under which both countries are required to cooperate in preventing and combating organized crime, fighting terrorism and countering activities that pose a threat to the national security of either country.

Iran has repeatedly called on Pakistan to abide by the terms of the agreement.