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Gilani assures Iran of tracking down Sistan attackers

* Prime minister urges intelligence sharing to confront terrorism
* Offers enhanced coordination between security agencies of both countries

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Condoling the deaths in a recent suicide attack in Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan province, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday assured Tehran of Islamabad’s complete support for tracking down and punishing those responsible for the attack.

The prime minister was talking to a visiting Iranian delegation, led by Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Muhammad Najjar.

Gilani said Pakistan had extradited individuals involved in terrorist attacks to Iran in the past and would again extend all-out support to the country to apprehend the culprits of the Sistan bombings. “The terrorists’ attack in Sistan was a deliberate attempt by the enemy to derail the growing understanding and cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

Gilani said such incidents should not be allowed to affect bilateral relations.

“Our countries face common challenges in the form of extremism and terrorism,” he said, while stressing the need to undertake coordinated actions through an enhanced exchange of intelligence data.

Coordination: The prime minister also offered to enhance coordination between the two sides’ security agencies to avoid misunderstandings in the future. Gilani appreciated Iran’s contribution of $330 million at the Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum in Tokyo, saying Pakistan highly valued its ties with Iran.

He said the recent launch of goods’ train service would help enhance cooperation among regional countries, and hoped that the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project would be completed on time.

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