QUETTA: Pakistani and Iranian officials, at a meeting of the Pakistan-Iran joint border commission held here on Wednesday, discussed the recent issues straining their otherwise friendly relations and vowed to resolve them through talks.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of recent kidnapping of five Iranian border guards and firing of rockets and mortar shells by Iranian forces into the border areas of Balochistan.

Balochistan Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad led the Pakistani delegation and Deputy Governor of Sistan-Baluchestan Ali Asghar Mir Shikari headed the Iranian team.

Both sides agreed that cordial relations between Pakistan and Iran required them to work in cooperation to secure their borders and combat terrorism, drug smuggling and other crimes.

The meeting discussed issues creating misunderstanding between the two countries, particularly the kidnapping of five Iranian guards by a relatively unknown militant organisation based in the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

The organisation, Jaishul Adl, has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings in a video clip of the kidnapped Iranian guards posted by it on social media. Iran has alleged that the militants had taken the kidnapped guards to their hideouts in Pakistani territory and warned that it can send its troops into Pakistani territory to secure their release.

According to sources, Pakistani officials rejected the claim and said that Frontier Corps personnel had combed the entire border area but found no clue to the presence of the militants and the kidnapped guards there.

The Pakistani delegation reminded the Iranians about the support being extended by their country to Iran against terrorist organisations and that Pakistan was already fighting such elements.

The sources said that Pakistani officials also took up the incidents of border violation by Iranian border guards who had fired rockets and mortar shells which landed in the border areas of Balochistan.

“Such incidents are repeatedly taking place in Mashkel, Taftan, Mand and order border areas of Balochistan,” the Iranian officials were informed.

The chief secretary told reporters after the meeting that both sides had held serious discussions on the two issues and were determined to resolve them through talks.

He said such problems would not be allowed to harm cordial relations between the two brotherly countries.

Balochistan Home Secretary Syed Asadur Rehman Gilani, IG Mushtaq Sukhera, IG of Frontier Corps Maj Gen Ejez Shahid and the deputy commissioners of border districts attended the meeting.