Iran Requests Pakistan to Take Urgent Action for Release of Hostages

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s Foreign Minister, spoke on Wednesday, October 25th, in a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi about the fate of border forces abducted by Jaish al-Adl.

Zarif called for urgent action by the Pakistani government to ensure the security and safety of the abducted border forces at the Mirjaveh border area and to identify and apprehend the abductors.

On the previous day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps announced in a statement that 14 Iranian border guards had been abducted near the Mirjaveh border area in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Meanwhile, “Jaish al-Adl” also announced that its forces “completely disarmed” a monitoring base in Mirjaveh city on Tuesday morning. The Islamic Republic considers this group to be terrorist.​

The group stated: “Among the captives, seven are affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards and five are from the commando units of law enforcement forces.”

“All efforts should be made to free the hostages”

Various reports have been published regarding the number of abducted forces. While some Iranian officials say 12 people have been abducted, Iran’s Interior Minister on Wednesday sent a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Shahryar Afridi requesting Islamabad’s cooperation for the release of 14 Iranian border guards.

According to IRNA, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iran’s Interior Minister, in this letter, referring to the abduction of 14 Iranian border guards by Jaish al-Adl, “called for special attention and focus from the Pakistani government on its security commitments to prevent the activities of criminals from its territory in attacks on border posts and encroachment on Iran’s sovereignty.”

Iran’s Interior Minister emphasized that all efforts should be directed toward freeing the hostages and “preventing the recurrence of such bitter and unpleasant incidents.”

In his letter to Pakistan’s Interior Minister, the Iranian Interior Minister added: “Within the framework of bilateral relations and the principle of good neighborliness, as well as security commitments between the two countries, the implementation of joint operations until results are achieved with urgency is necessary.”

In recent years, armed clashes have occurred between the Jaish al-Adl group and the Revolutionary Guards and border guards in the southeastern borders of Iran and in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The group considers itself a defender of “Sunnis” in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Source: Radio Farda