The Foreign Office (FO) announced on Wednesday that the country is recalling its ambassador from Iran in the aftermath of missile and drone strikes conducted in Panjgur by Tehran’s forces.

Pakistan condemned the attack, describing it as an “unprovoked violation” of the Pakistani airspace, and warned Tehran of serious consequences. The FO had said in a late-night statement that the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty was completely unacceptable.

The strikes, which Tehran described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl, in the Panjgur district of Balochistan killed two “innocent children” and wounded three girls.

“This illegal act is completely unacceptable and has not justification whatsoever. Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act and the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” said FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a brief statement.

The spokesperson also added that Islamabad would suspend all high-level diplomatic exchanges with Tehran following the violation of the country’s sovereignty and added that the Iranian envoy to Pakistan, who is currently visiting Iran, will not be allowed back in the country.

Read China urges Iran, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ after deadly air strike

“We have conveyed this message to the government of Iran. We have also informed them that Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, who is currently visiting Iran, may not return for the time being.”

Iranian strike in Pakistan

Missiles targeted two bases of Jaish al Adl in Pakistan on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported, a day after Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards missile strikes hit an “Israeli spy centre” in Iraq and targeted Islamic State militants in Syria.

“These bases were hit and destroyed by missiles and drones,” media reports in Tehran said. Iran’s Nournews, affiliated with the country’s top security body, said the attacked bases were located in the Balochistan province.

However, Pakistan contested Iran’s claims that the strikes destroyed “terrorist hideouts” and strongly protested with the neighbouring country. “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences,” the FO statement said.

Jaish-al-Adl is a militant group established in 2012 and has been operating from Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province. Tehran alleges that the group also has hideouts across the border in Pakistan.

The group since its inception took responsibility of several attacks against Iran’s security forces. In February 2019, the group killed 27 security personnel, prompting Iranian civil and military leadership to issue stern warnings to Pakistan.

However, Tuesday’s strike came as major surprise because Tehran opted for this option despite existence of channels of communication between the two countries.

Also, the strikes were launched the day Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar met with the Iranian foreign minister on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The Iranian president’s point man for Afghanistan was also in Islamabad, recently.

Soon after the attack, Pakistan’s strong protest was lodged with the concerned senior official in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, while Iran’s charge d’affaires was summoned by the foreign ministry.

The statement reiterated that Pakistan had always said that terrorism was a common threat to all countries in the region that required coordinated action.