Pakistan has noted with serious concern the statement by the Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli that Iran would send forces into Pakistan to free five border guards, who were kidnapped by the militants on February 6 from the border region about five kilometres inside Iranian territory.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday that the Government of Pakistan regrets the suggestions of negligence on its part over the incident, especially when Pakistan's active support against terrorists groups in the past, is well-known and acknowledged by Iran.
Pakistan has already informed the Iranian authorities that its Frontier Corps teams have intensively combed the entire region but could not verify the entry or presence of these Iranian border guards on its territory. It is therefore possible that the miscreants along with the abducted border guards are still hiding within the Iranian territory, the statement pointed out.
The security organisations of both the countries are in regular contact and a senior-level Pakistan-Iran border meeting is scheduled in Quetta on February 19, during which relevant information would be exchanged.
The statement emphasised that the Iranian forces have no authority to cross Pakistan's borders in violation of the international law and called for respecting each other's borders.
