In order to de-escalate tensions with its neighbour, Pakistan plans to fence the border linking Balochistan province with Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province.

Speaking at a seminar in Quetta city, , commander southern command Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa, said the fencing would start from next week, which would help contain terrorism and smuggling.

Asim Bajwa said the fencing of the border would also improve economy and legal trade between the two neighbor countries.

Tehran has long been accusing Islamabad of not acting against militant groups, which have carried out numerous terrorist attacks in Iran’s bordering province of Sistan-Balochistan and Pakistan denies the claim.

In February, a suicide bomber had killed 27 Iranian border guards in Sistan-Balochistan, fueling the diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

The move followed the ongoing fencing of Pakistan’s border with war-wrecked Afghanistan, which invited ire from Kabul apart from border clashes between the two countries in recent past.

Pakistan has already fenced a 370-kilometer-long (230-mile) portion of Pak-Afghan border — commonly known as Duran Line — to stop the cross-border movement of militants.

Earlier spokesperson of the Pakistan Army, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor had told the IRNA news agency that Pakistan and Iran were considering fencing the common border to stop terrorists from carrying out their activities in border regions.

On the other hand, the Revolutionary 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.

On the contrary, Balochs are residing on both sides of Pakistan and Iran borders and for this specific reason, the border between the two countries is soft friendly and peaceful with no threat of hostile or unfriendly activities from any side.  It is border of peace and virtually unguarded or a token presence by border guards on both sides.

Pakistan-Iran borders are borders of peace, friendship and cooperation between the two countries. There is no dispute between the two independent and sovereign countries and they are free to establish their relations with outside world without any reservations.

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

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

Both the countries 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.

Pakistan and Iran 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.