Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Office has expressed “deepest condolences” to the Iranian government as well as the families of five deceased border guards, who lost their lives during clashes with an armed group in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.
The Foreign Office said in a statement that Islamabad viewed Pakistan- Iran border as a border of peace and friendship and was committed to working with Iran towards that end.
“As reaffirmed during the recent meeting between the prime minister of Pakistan and the president of Iran, we stress upon the need for mutual efforts to eliminate terrorism on both sides of the border,” the statement read.
Iran’s state media reported that five border guards were killed during clashes in Saravan, near the border with Pakistan. The official IRNA news agency said that Sunday’s attack was carried out by “a terrorist group that was seeking to infiltrate the country” but whose members “fled the scene after suffering injuries”.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani condemned the attack. He said Tehran expected of Islamabad to “crack down on terrorist groups” and “try to improve the security” of the borders.
The attack was one of the deadliest in the province in recent months.
