THE National Security Committee (NSC) Friday conveyed a right message to adversaries as well as people of Pakistan by reiterating the country’s resolve to respond with “full might” in the face of a violation of its territorial integrity under any circumstances. The expression of the resolve by the country’s highest decision-making platform came a day after Pakistan carried out strikes against hideouts used by terrorist organizations, namely Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) inside Iranian territory using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons. The NSC undertook a wholesome review of the situation and lauded the professional, calibrated and proportionate response by the armed forces against unprovoked and unlawful violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
The resolve of the NSC is reflective of the sentiments and aspirations of people of Pakistan, who want the authorities concerned to stand firm when it comes to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, integrity and solidarity. This national consensus was highlighted by the response of all segments of the society which supported the tit-for-tat response to mischievous adventure from the Iranian side. However, it is also a fact that the two countries are geographical neighbours and cannot afford continued bitterness in their relations as it has serious consequences for economic and commercial ties as well as people-to-people contacts. In this backdrop, it is appreciable that sanity prevailed on the two sides as the leadership of both Pakistan and Iran moved swiftly towards damage control as the United Nations and friendly countries like the United States, Russia, the European Union and other global players had appealed to both sides for restraint, while China went a step further and offered to mediate. Pakistan’s sincerity was highlighted by the statement of the caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, who said on Friday that it was in the interest of both Iran and Pakistan to take steps to restore their relationship to the levels before Tehran violated the country’s airspace. Pointing out that Pakistan and Iran were “two brotherly countries that have historically enjoyed fraternal and cooperative relations marked by respect and affection”, the premier asserted that Pakistan would “welcome and reciprocate all positive measures from the Iranian side” in this regard. It is understood that Pakistan had to retaliate in the face of extreme provocation and violation of its sovereignty by Iran, otherwise Islamabad always preferred having best of relations with Tehran. It was in continuation of this policy approach that the participants of the NSC expressed that as Iran was a “neighbourly and brotherly Muslim country”, existing multiple communication channels between it and Pakistan should be mutually utilized to address each other’s security concerns in the “larger interest of regional peace and stability”. It is encouraging that after a somewhat low-level contact between officials of the foreign ministries of the two countries, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had a fruitful telephonic conversation during which the former extended an olive branch to Iran proposing to tackle every issue with trust as their guide. Pakistan has also made it clear to the rest of the world that it does not intend to further exacerbate the situation, calling on Tehran to ensure that it respects Islamabad’s territorial sovereignty. In a telephonic conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye Hakan Fidan, FM Jilani said Operation ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’ was aimed at terrorist camps inside Iran and Pakistan has no interest or desire in escalation. There are also indications from Tehran that Iran too wants to avoid escalation in tension and that too at a time when there are genuine threats to regional stability due to the Middle-East situation. However, there is an urgent need for further confidence building measures aimed at defusing the tension. It might and might not be a coincidence that Iran chose to carry out military exercises close to borders with Pakistan after launching an air strike on this side of the border. The two sides must sit together and thoroughly discuss all irritants and sort them out in a spirit of accommodation and cooperation. The two countries have long been complaining about the presence of terrorist outfits in the region and they should eliminate the threat through coordinated efforts.
