Amid Iran-Israel war, Pakistan fears Baloch militants rise; Asim Munir raises alarm with Donald Trump
Islamabad has expressed concerns about anti-Pakistan outfits on the border between Iran and Pakistan amid fears of the Iranian regime being destabilised during its escalating conflict with Israel, reported news agency Reuters.
Follow LIVE updates on the Israel-Iran conflict here
During a meeting between Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the former reportedly indicated that the country was worried about separatist and Jihadist elements on the Pakistan-Iran border taking advantage of the conflict with Israel.
Anti-Iranian and anti-Pakistan outfits operate on both sides of the 900-km-long border. Israel, during its military campaign, has indicated that they are seeking to ensure the collapse of the Iranian government.
Pakistan has condemned Israel's attack on Iran as a violation of international law.
Also Read: Donald Trump steps back from taking credit for India-Pakistan ceasefire: 'Two very smart leaders decided'
Jaish al-Adl (JaA), an Iranian jihadist group formed from ethnic Baloch and Sunni Muslim minorities and which operates from Pakistan, said Israel's conflict with Iran was a great opportunity.
'Jaish al-Adl extends the hand of brotherhood and friendship to all the people of Iran and calls on all people, especially the people of Baluchistan, as well as the armed forces, to join the ranks of the Resistance,' the group said in a statement on June 13.
Pakistan also fears that separatist militants from its own Baloch minority, which are based in Iran, will seek to escalate attacks.
'There's a fear of ungoverned spaces, which would be fertile ground for terrorist groups,' Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington to Reuters.
Also Read: Shashi Tharoor's message to US as Donald Trump hosts Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir at White House
Simbal Khan, an analyst based in Islamabad, said the different Baloch groups could morph into a 'greater Balochistan' movement which seeks to carve out a new nation from the Baloch areas of Pakistan and Iran.
'They're all going to fight together if this blows up,' said Khan.
Further, Pakistan is also concerned about the precedent set by Israel in attacking nuclear establishments in Iran, a month after India and Pakistan also engaged in a four-day conflict following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam attack, reported Reuters.
After his meeting on Wednesday with Asim Munir, Trump said about Pakistan's views on the Israel-Iran conflict, 'They're not happy about anything.'
Pakistan's military said on Thursday that they had discussed Iran with the US, "with both leaders emphasising the importance of resolution of the conflict'.
'This is for us a very serious issue, what is happening in our brotherly country of Iran. It imperils the entire regional security structures, it impacts us deeply,' Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday. '
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