ISLAMABAD: Pak­istan military on Saturday dismissed media reports that Iranian forces had eliminated a Jaishul Adl ‘commander’ inside Pakis­tani territory, suggesting the claims were aimed at mitigating the embarrassment arising from the recent ‘Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar’.

“Social media and some foreign media are spreading false propaganda that Iranian forces have killed a commander of Jaishul Adl on Pakistani soil. No such incident happened on Pakistani soil,” a military source claimed.

Iranian media had initially reported that security forces on Friday killed Esmaeil Shahbakhsh, a militant associated with Jaishul Adl terrorist group. While some Iranian reports were ambiguous about the location of Shahbakhsh’s death, the Tehran Times explicitly stated that the operation occurred within Pakistan.

The military source said a “false narrative was being created by portraying the recent killing, which happened due to cross-firing between smuggler groups as a counter-terrorism operation”.

“Various false narratives are being fabricated to clear the embarrassment caused by Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar,” the source said.

Pakistan’s airstrikes on Jan 18 against alleged Baloch insurgents’ hideouts in Iran, which were carried out in retaliation to Iranian missile attacks on a sanctuary of Jaishul Adl on Pakistani territory are codenamed ‘Operation Marg Bar Sarmchar’.

‘Unscheduled’ phone call

Shahbakhsh was implicated in recent terrorist activities in southeastern Iran, with the Tehran Times describing his death as the outcome of a ‘sophisticated intelligence and military operation’ by Iranian forces.

Pakistani and Iranian foreign ministers had, meanwhile, spoken over the phone late Friday evening, which was claimed by some diplomatic sources as unscheduled.

The Foreign Office explained that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had called to congratulate Pakistan on recent elections and reiterate the desire to strengthen bilateral ties.

The Iranian side had, meanwhile, claimed that the two sides reviewed the progress made on the understanding reached at the time of restoration of bilateral ties after a brief breakdown marked by reciprocal missile strikes.

The two sides had on that occasion agreed to station liaison officers in border areas, besides renewing their commitment to fully enforce existing security pacts for addressing curb cross-border terrorism that has been a source of tension in the bilateral ties between the two countries. Amir-Abdollahian, according to the Iranian side, underscored the significance of maintaining effective communication between pertinent institutions to ensure the swift and successful implementation of these agreements.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Conciliatory approach
Updated 15 Oct, 2024

Conciliatory approach

Pakistan can only move forward when disillusioned segments of society are given their constitutional rights.
PCB mess
15 Oct, 2024

PCB mess

PAKISTAN cricket is in a state of turmoil — all the way from the boardroom to the field. Several decisions have...
Police brutality
15 Oct, 2024

Police brutality

IS our police leadership so devoid of ideas that cracking down on unarmed civilians is their only means of ...
SCO summit
Updated 14 Oct, 2024

SCO summit

All quarters, including political parties, must ensure that no hurdles are placed in the way of the SCO summit.
Not the answer
14 Oct, 2024

Not the answer

THE recent report from Justice Project Pakistan shows how urgently Pakistan needs to rethink its use of the death...
Foul killing
14 Oct, 2024

Foul killing

THE chasm between the powerful and the vulnerable, coupled with radicalisation within law enforcement, has turned...