Understand actions that countries take in self defence: MEA on Iranian missile strike on Pakistan

A day after Iran carried out a deadly missile strike targeting terror bases in western Pakistan, India on Wednesday said it understands actions that countries take in self-defence, and asserted that it has an “uncompromising” position of “zero tolerance” towards terrorism.

At the same time, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it is a matter between Iran and Pakistan.

“This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan,” Jaiswal said. The spokesperson was responding to media queries on the Iranian missile strike on Pakistan.

“So far as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self defence,” Jaiswal said.

Tehran launched an unprecedented missile and drone strikes on what it said were directed at the bases of a terrorist group in the restive Balochistan province.

Two bases of the Sunni Baloch militant group ‘Jaish al-Adl’ in Pakistan’s unruly Balochistan province were targeted by missiles and drones on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported. Pakistan on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Iran and suspended all planned high-level bilateral visits.

In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return to Islamabad for the time being.

Pakistan also reserves the right to retaliate to the provocation by Iran, she said. Pakistani officials said two children were killed and three others injured in the missile strike in Balochistan. Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in Davos that the operation was targeting Jaish al-Adl.

“We only targeted Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan,” he said. In February 2019, India’s war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed.