Iran and Pakistan have agreed to set up a joint border “reaction force” following a number of deadly attacks by militant groups on their frontier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced Monday after talks with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“We agreed to create a joint rapid reaction force atthe borders for combatting terrorism,” Rouhani told a joint newsconference, following months of increased tensions over attacks on both sidesof the frontier.
Khan’s visit to Iran, the first since he took office lastyear, comes after gunmen who Islamabad says were based in Iran killed 14members of Pakistan’s security forces last week in its own Balochistanprovince.
“The security chief will sit down with his counterparthere and discuss (security) cooperation,” Khan said, although no detailswere given on the joint force.
“We trust that both countries will not have terroristactivities from their soil … We will not allow any damage to your countryfrom our soil,” said the Pakistani premier who started a two-day visit onSunday.
In March, Rouhani demanded Pakistan act “decisivelyagainst anti-Iranian terrorists”, following a February 13 attack thatkilled 27 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards in Sistan-Baluchistan.
Stressing that “no third country” could harmIran-Pakistan ties, an apparent reference to the United States and its policyof isolating the Islamic republic, Rouhani said Tehran was ready to boost tradeand business ties with Islamabad.
“In the current situation the region’s countries mustdecide and plan for their interests independently and directly,” Rouhanisaid.
“Iran is ready to meet Pakistan’s oil and gas demands… (and) we are ready to increase (electricity) exports to Pakistanten-fold,” he added.
He said cooperation between Chabahar port in southeast Iran and Pakistan’s Gwadar port can be increased, and that Tehran could facilitate the construction of a railroad connecting Istanbul to Islamabad.