Commander Assures Nation of Safety of Kidnapped Iranian Border Guards

Addressing a group of provincial border guard commanders on Thursday, General Rezayee said that the abducted border guards are safe, but the main concern for Iran is their release.

"No response has yet been received in that connection from the terrorist groups," he said, adding that since the border guards were kidnapped on Pakistan soil, Islamabad has vowed to secure rapid release of the group.

He criticized Pakistani side for poor management of Baluchistan region, where criminals and those prosecuted by Iranian judiciary system reside and serve as a mercenary.

Iran has been seriously pursuing the issue of the Iranian border guards who were kidnapped on Iran-Pakistan border by holding talks with leaders of regional tribes, Fourteen Iranian Basijis (volunteer forces) and border guard forces were abducted by terrorists in Iran's Sistan-Balouchestan border with Pakistan on October 15 by Jeish al-Adl terrorist group. Five of them were later released through the efforts of the Pakistani government on November 15.

In early December, Security officials from Iran and Pakistan along with their accompanying delegations met in Iran’s Southeastern city of Zahedan to hold the 22nd joint meeting on border cooperation between the two countries.

The Iranian delegation was headed by the Deputy Governor General for Security and Disciplinary Affairs of Iran’s Sistan and Balouchestan Province Mohammad Hadi Marashi, and the Pakistani side was headed by Chief Secretary of Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province Ahmad Nazir.

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