Pakistan, Iran ambassadors to resume duties

ISLAMABAD/TEHRAN: Pakistan and Iran announced Monday that their ambassadors would resume their duties after the two countries agreed to de-escalate tensions following an exchange of deadly strikes last week.

“It has been mutually agreed that the ambassadors of both countries may return to their respective posts by January 26,” said a joint statement by the foreign ministries of both the countries.

Iran´s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is also due to visit Pakistan on January 29 following an invitation from his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani, the statement said. The decisions were announced following a phone call between Jilani and Amir-Abdollahian. Jilani and Amir-Abdollahian agreed in a Friday phone conversation “to de-escalate the situation” between the two countries.

In a post on X, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu said 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,” he added.

Pakistan on January 17 withdrew its ambassador from Iran and announced that it would not allow the Iranian envoy visiting his home country at that time to return to protest at a “blatant breach” of its sovereignty after Tehran said it launched missile attacks on militant bases in southwestern Pakistan.

The next day, on January 18, Pakistan launched strikes on terrorists’ hideouts inside Iran in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran violated the country’s sovereignty by launching a strike in Balochistan that left two children dead and injured three girls.

In a statement, the Pakistan Army 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”.

Meanwhile, China said it supported Pakistan and Iran in bridging differences through dialogue and consultations, as both countries were friendly neighbors and its good friends.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin during his regular briefing in Beijing said, “I want to stress that Pakistan and Iran are friendly neighbors, and both are good friends of China. China is committed to upholding regional and international peace and stability and supports Iran and Pakistan in continuing to bridge differences through dialogue and consultation.”

Responding to a question about China’s Vice Minister Sun Weidong’s ongoing visit to Pakistan and Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu’s phone call with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani Sunday night, he said that China maintained close communication with Pakistan and Iran.

When asked if China was mediating between Pakistan and Iran?, he said, “We would like to continue to play a positive and constructive role in improving the relations between Iran and Pakistan based on the needs of the two countries.”