MP Warns Of Strong Response To Terrorists

Arak, Markazi Prov, March 28, IRNA – Terrorist groups will receive a strong response in case of any damage to the lives of kidnapped Iranian border guards, said senior Iranian lawmaker Mohammad-Hassan Asafari on Friday. Asafari held Islamabad responsible for the safety of five Iranian border guards who were kidnapped into Pakistan on February 6. Jeish al-Adl terrorist group, that has claimed responsibility for the incident, recently said it had killed one of the abducted border guards. Asafari, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told IRNA that the Commission has drafted a letter for Pakistani ambassador to Tehran in which it has voiced readiness to dispatch a delegation to Pakistan and hold talks with Pakistani officials to explore diplomatic ways to secure the release of the Iranian border guards. He also called on the Iranian officials to make every effort in this regard. Iran has strongly criticized Pakistan for inability to efficiently control its borders and for its inaction on the case of kidnapped Iranian border guards. Tehran has urged Islamabad to immediately capture the perpetrators behind the kidnapping and to extradite them to Iran to be brought to justice. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif has also sent a letter to UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, calling for international measures to put an end to such criminal acts and to help release of the Iranian border guards./end