ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, on Wednesday, told his Iranian counterpart that Tehran’s breach of its sovereignty has caused serious damage to bilateral ties and Pakistan “reserved the right to respond to this provocative act”.

Jilani, who is currently leading the Pakistan delegation to the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kampala, Uganda, received a telephone call from the Foreign Minister of Iran, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Wednesday, said Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.

She added that the foreign minister firmly underscored that the attack conducted by Iran inside Pakistani territory, on 16 January 2024, was not only a serious breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty but was also an egregious violation of international law and the spirit of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran.

Expressing Pakistan’s unreserved condemnation of the attack, the foreign minister added that the incident has caused serious damage to bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran.

“The Foreign Minister added that Pakistan reserved the right to respond to this provocative act,” Baloch said. Stressing that terrorism was a common threat to the region and required concerted and coordinated efforts to combat this menace, the foreign minister underlined that unilateral actions could seriously undermine regional peace and stability.

“No country in the region should tread this perilous path,” Jilani was further quoted to have told his Iranian counterpart.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan decided to recall its ambassador from Tehran and asked Iran not send its ambassador to Islamabad who is already there on vacations.

Source said that Pakistan Ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir Tipu will be back to Islamabad today (Thursday).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024