Fourteen Iranian security personnel, including Revolutionary Guard intelligence officers, were allegedly abducted on the southeastern border with Pakistan.

The kidnapping occurred in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, which has a long history of unrest from separatist militants. It borders Pakistan’s sparsely populated province of Baluchistan. It has happened many times. Once, a few years ago, the Iranians threatened to cross over and carry out their own operations if the Pakistanis weren’t up to the task.

The Iranians are naturally very serious about their security. They are circled from all sides, after all, and face the full force of not just US, EU, etc, diplomatic aggression, but also regional proxy adventures. A direct threat from their interior ministry, therefore, was taken very seriously.

Iran had been claiming that Pakistan Government is not taking interest to secure its border with Pakistani Balochistan and more frequent attacks by lawless people on the Iranian security forces or targets inside Iran.

Iran is urging neighboring Pakistan to cooperate in securing freedom for 14 Iranian border guards, including intelligence officers, after militants kidnapped them in a predawn raid along the border.

Iranian leaders allege anti-Iran militants use Pakistani territory for plotting cross-border attacks. The allegation remains a source of tension in Islamabad’s otherwise friendly and traditionally close relationship with Tehran.

On the other hand, the Iranian border security forces were found involved in lobbing mortar shells, using live ammunition in random firing in ‘self defence’ or involved in scared firing to deter any unseen threat on the vast border belt spread over to more than 900 kilometers.

Comparing with Afghanistan and India, Iran border is open and unguarded and comparatively safe and secure where the Iranian border security forces are dominating the scene.

On the contrary, Iranians are arresting hundreds of Pakistani nationals, mostly from Central Punjab, and handing them over to the local administration with the right expectations.

that they will be punished for being illegal immigrants to Iran. They are not checked and allowed to cross the border with all comforts and available state facilities.

In any case, tension between Iran and Pakistan is not in our mutual interest and there should peace and security on the entire border as was the case in the past where people of the border regions were allowed free movement on both side and there were no complaints.

Pakistan Government should improve the security on the border region by using the prevailing goodwill of the local people and taking the Iranian border security forces into confidence.

Both the countries share 1000 kilometers besides the long and unending Mekran Coast sharing territorial waters of Iran and Pakistan.  These developments were against the expectations or wild imagination of the Iranian leaders increasing tension with Pakistan.

The eyes should be fixed on the terror groups and not to harass the poor people, mainly residing in settlements close to the border with Iranian Balochistan.

It is in the interests of both the countries that there should be peace on the Iran border as there is disquiet on the borders with Afghanistan and India making the situation unpredictable.