ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran emphasised strengthened cooperation for better border management as their newly formed border commission became functional.

“They agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation to effectively address the challenges posed by miscreants, including drug smugglers, human traffickers and criminal networks. They also agreed on the need to prevent border violations,” the Foreign Office said on Wednesday about the two-day meeting of the Pakistan-Iran Higher Border Commission that began in Tehran on Monday.

Cross-border attacks have long been a serious irritant in the already fraught Pak-Iran ties. In the latest attack over the weekend, two Iranian civilians were killed in the border region of Saravan in Sistan-Baluchestan province. These attacks allegedly by militants based on the Pakistani side of the border have often flared up tensions between the two countries.

Pakistan and Iran share a 917km-long porous border, which has been plagued by drug smugglers and militants, who have often clashed with Iranian security forces.

The border commission has been one of the main demands of the Iranian government for dealing with the issue. Each side is represented by four senior officers, including security officials, in the commission.

The director general of the directorate dealing with Iran at the FO, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, led the Pakistani delegation at the talks, while the Iranian team was headed by Hossein Azar Panahi, the director general of International Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The FO said that both sides held constructive discussions for effective implementation of the existing border mechanisms within the framework of Agreement for Administration of Pakistan-Iran border of 1960.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2017