Alwaght- The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad earlier today to discuss with the Pakistani officials abducted Iranian border guards as well as the bilateral cooperation.
Upon his arrival in the neighboring country, Zarif met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Foreign Office.
The Iranian diplomacy chief is expected to discuss the fate of 14 border guards who were abducted by gunmen from a border post in the east of the country and taken into the Pakistani territory. The kidnapping, carried out by the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group, took place in mid-October in Mirjaveh, Sistan and Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan. Shortly after, the group claimed responsibility for the abduction.
At the time, Iranian officials held talks with the Pakistani ambassador in Tehran and called on Islamabad to “use all possible means” to free them. Qureshi told his Iranian counterpart that security forces are searching for border protection personnel.
Pakistan-based militants frequently attack Iranian border posts, killing soldiers protecting the borders. For long years, the Pakistani territories have been serving as a safe haven for the anti-Iranian militant groups.
General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’s ground force, said days after the kidnapping that Iran was ready to launch an operation in cooperation with Pakistani army to liberate the soldiers.
Zarif also intends to hold talks with new Islamabad Prime Minister Imran Khan. The talks will concentrate on the expansion of the bilateral ties between the neighbors.
"FM Qureshi welcomed Zarif at MOFA today. Detailed discussions on all issues of mutual interest including ways to enhance cooperation took place," Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal tweeted.
"Talks between Iran and Pakistan took place on all issues of mutual interest," he added.
