Tensions on Iran-Pakistan border; Pak soldier dies in firing from Iran

Islamabad / Karachi – A Pakistani Frontier Corps soldier died and another wounded in a cross-border shooting from Iran. The Pakistani military has blamed militants on the Iranian border for the attack. Iran has not commented on Pakistan’s allegations. But last week, there were reports of an altercation between troops stationed on the Iran-Pakistan border.

The firing took place at a check post on the Chukab border in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. A soldier named Maqbool Shah was killed in the shooting from the Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. But the Pakistani military has said that a terrorist organisation in Iran is responsible for the attack. However, Iran has paid no heed to Pakistan’s allegations.

A large part of Balochistan is divided into Iran and Pakistan. Iran and Pakistan share a border of about 800 kilometres. Pakistan has accused militants in Iran of taking advantage of this to target the Pakistani military. Pakistan had also claimed that the mastermind of the Gwadar blast a few days ago was in Iran. But Iran has said that there is no truth in Pakistan’s accusations. On the contrary, Iran has accused Pakistan of using terrorists against Iran.

Tensions along the Iran-Pakistan border have risen since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. Pakistani troops stationed near the Iranian border are claimed to have become more aggressive. Last week, a video and a photo of a dispute between soldiers stationed at the border between the two countries went viral on social media. Pakistan has also closed its border with Iran. Traders in Iran have criticised the move, which has disrupted trade.

Meanwhile, a few months ago, a senior Pakistani military official claimed that Pakistan’s army would soon infiltrate Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan region. The Pakistani official had said that China had provided a large amount of money for this. Four days ago, Azerbaijani lawmakers also threatened Iran about the Sistan-Balochistan province. If Iran invaded Azerbaijan, Pakistan’s army would cut off Iran’s tail, i.e. the Sistan-Balochistan province, members of the Azerbaijani parliament threatened.

This indicates that the Pakistani military is plotting against Iran. Iran has expressed strong dissatisfaction with Pakistan’s intervention in Afghanistan.