PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday praised the military for carrying out “Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar” during which terrorist hideouts were targeted in Iran, saying Pakistan had the right to defend the country.
“Pakistan’s territorial integrity and the well-being of our citizens are paramount. Pakistan has taken fitting diplomatic and military steps for peace and security,” he said in post shared on X.
At the same time, he talked about the country’s desire for having peaceful relations between the countries. “We seek peace between our two neighbourly countries but reserve the right to defend ourselves.”
Earlier, Shehbaz had expressed his shock over the Iranian missile attack inside Pakistan, terming the move “against spirit of our friendship and principles of good neighbourliness”.
The statement comes after Pakistan struck the hideouts of outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and Baloch Liberation Front in Iran.
Khawaja Asif, a PML-N senior leader who also served as the foreign minister, said Iran and Afghanistan would have to devise a strategy to tackle terrorism so that the issue.
Calling for peaceful relations between the two neighbours, he said Iran had overstepped and didn’t utilise the available options. The response was necessary, Khawaja Asif noted.
He said both the countries were facing the separatist movements and were required to tackle the challenge in a better manner.
