Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran recalled after airspace violation

Islamabad — Pakistan recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Iran on Wednesday after Iran violated its airspace, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, amid unprecedented tension between the two Muslim nations.

Pakistan said on Tuesday the airspace violation had resulted in the deaths of two children after Iranian state media said Iranian missiles targeted two bases of militant group Jaish al Adl.

Pakistan has not confirmed the nature of the violation, nor the exact location. The foreign ministry spokesperson did not mention the children’s deaths in her statement on Wednesday.

She said the violation was an unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan's sovereignty and was “unacceptable”.

“Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act,” she said.

The strikes inside Pakistan came a day after similar attacks carried out by Tehran inside other neighbours, Iraq and Syria.

Jaish al Adl has previously mounted attacks on Iranian security forces in the border area with Pakistan

Baghdad has recalled its ambassador from Tehran after Iran's state-backed media said it had hit an Israeli espionage centre.

Pakistan will also not allow Iran’s ambassador, who is visiting his home country, to return, the ministry’s spokesperson said in a statement.

Officials in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, which borders Iran, said that four missiles had hit the Panjgur district close to the Iranian border.

“Four missiles were fired in the village of Koh-i-Sabaz, which is about 50km inside Pakistan soil,” a senior official of the Panjgur administration said.

“A mosque and three houses were damaged in the attack,” another official said, adding that two young girls had been killed and three other family members injured. 

Reuters