Pakistan and Iran normalise diplomatic relations days after tit-for-tat strikes
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Iran have mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries will resume their respective posts by January 26, 2024.
The Foreign Office in a joint statement said that at the invitation of Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian will undertake a visit to Pakistan on January 29.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu welcomed the development in a social media post Taking to social media platform X, he wrote that he was “so delighted that leaderships of both Pakistan and Iran so deftly handled a challenging moment astutely- swiftly putting relations back on track”.
“We have great potential ahead & both brotherly countries must collectively promote peace & development in region,” Tipu added.
On Jan 17, Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Iran following a “blatant breach” of its sovereignty and unprovoked violation of its airspace after Tehran launched airstrikes in Pangur city of Balochistan leaving two children dead and three women injured. The move sparked massive condemnation from Islamabad.
The next day, on January 18, Pakistan carried out precision military strikes on terrorists’ hideouts inside Iran in a retaliatory attack.
The Pakistan Army’s media wing in a statement said the hideouts used by terrorist militant organisations, namely Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), were successfully struck in an intelligence-based operation, code-named — “Marg Bar Sarmachar”.