IRGC Chief Hails Pakistan’s Efforts to Ease Regional Tensions

In a meeting with Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Tehran on Wednesday, Major General Salami lauded Pakistani efforts for reducing regional tensions and called for stronger unity among Muslims in countering hostile plots.

The IRGC commander also slammed the US and the “fake Zionist regime” of Israel as the common enemies of the Islamic world.

The strategies of Iran and Pakistan for promoting sustainable security at the common border are “common and interconnected”, Salami added.

He also underlined that Iran does not see any difference between the Shiites and Sunnis when it comes to protecting the Muslim community across the Islamic world.

For his part, the Pakistani general highlighted the religious, cultural and historical commonalities between Iran and Pakistan, saying they set the ground for closer cooperation between the two neighbors.

He also lauded Iran for its significant role in the fight against Takfiri terrorism in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

The two generals also discussed plans to enhance military and security cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad, broaden cooperation in ensuring security and combatting terrorism along the common borders, share experiences, and expand training and research cooperation between the two Muslim neighbors.

The visiting Pakistani general has held meetings with other Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

In April, Rouhani and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan agreed to set up a joint rapid reaction unit along the common border to combat terrorism.

Iranian military forces along the southeastern border areas are frequently attacked by terrorist groups coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In February, a bus carrying IRGC personnel was traveling between the cities of Zahedan and Khash in Sistan and Balouchestan, when it was targeted in a suicide car bomb attack.

Twenty-seven IRGC members were killed and 13 others injured in the attack, claimed by the so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group based in Pakistan.