Iran and Pakistan Cooperate on Counter-Terrorism Amid Jaish al-Adl and Baloch Separatist Attacks

Osama Ahmad

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Following the visit of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Pakistan in April, both Pakistan and Iran decided to appoint colonel-rank liaison officers at their mutual border to coordinate joint counter-terrorism efforts. Per the bilateral agreement, Pakistani liaison officers are stationed in Zahedan, Iran, while the Iranian officers are stationed in Turbat, Pakistan (The Nation, April 29). This development is the result of years-long efforts to achieve an ideal counter-terrorism framework between the two countries.

Tit-for-Tat Strikes

On January 16, Iran launched ballistic missiles and suicide drones into Pakistan’s Balochistan Province in an attempt to target Jaish al-Adl’s hideouts in a border town, Panjgur (Dawn, January 17; see Terrorism Monitor, January 31). In retaliation, Pakistan launched its own missiles into Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan Province, claiming to target the hideouts of Baloch separatists, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF). These attacks fell primarily on the town of Saravan along the Iran–Pakistan border (Dawn, January 19). While it was feared at the time that the incidents would permanently damage relations between the two countries, in the weeks that followed, both governments signaled that relations between them were surprisingly friendly, considering the recent exchange of missiles (see Terrorism Monitor, May 30). It may be the case that the rapid degrading and immediate improvement of relations was intentional. This would suggest that Iran and Pakistan were engaged in a joint counter-terrorism operation and that the cross-border strikes and counterstrikes were coordinated in advance.