Pakistan Steps Up Security Along Border with Iran

Pakistan has increased the number of its security forces along its joint border with Iran as part of a bilateral agreement to step up security in the region, said Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Spokesman of Pakistan’s Army.

A Pakistani soldier keeps guard at the Friendship Gate, a crossing point at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan, March 7, 2017. / Photo by Reuters

In a press conference on Monday, Ghafour said the forces have been deployed to step up border security.

“We have not only increased the number of our forces along the borders with Iran but also have adopted preemptive measures against any possible terrorist or criminal attack in the region,” he said.

The spokesman then added that the border guards of Pakistan also known as FS are tasked with providing security of Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan. “The forces have already been deployed to the region.”

The general also said Pakistan’s army has for the first time divided its border guards into two northern and southern groups. “The southern group is missioned to protect the joint borders with Iran.”

In response to a question on the fate of the abducted Iranian border guards, he said for the time being there is no information about them.

“Over the past month, Pakistan’s security forces received some information from unknown sources saying that the abducted Iranian border guards had been transferred to Pakistan by terrorist groups. We launched an operation against the terrorists and released some of the guards. But unfortunately we don’t have any information yet about the fate of the remaining guards abducted by the terrorists,” he said.

The spokesman also described the joint border between Iran and Pakistan as the border of peace and friendship and added Pakistan feels obliged to keep the border peaceful.

“The joint border between Iran and Pakistan is not comparable with that of Pakistan and Afghanistan. We don’t feel any threats from the Iranian side of the border. And Pakistan and Iran have established good cooperation in border operations,” he noted.

During the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to Iran earlier this month, the two sides agreed to establish a joint Rapid Reaction Force to combat militants based along the two countries’ shared borders.

Iran and Pakistan say militant groups operate from bases on the other country’s soil, occasionally carrying out deadly cross-border attacks.

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