A frame grab of a footage broadcast by Saudi Arabias al-Arabiya TV channel on February 17, 2014, showing five Iranian border guards abducted by the Jaish-ul-Adl Takfiri terrorist group.[/caption]Irans officials lined up on Tuesday to criticize Pakistan over the killing of a kidnapped Iranian border guard by Sunni insurgents last week.
The Baluch insurgency Jaish ul-Adl, which has carried out a series of attacks on Iranian forces since last summer, seized five border guards in Sistan Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran on February 6. They took the men across the border into Pakistan, demanding the freeing of 300 detainees from Iranian prisons in return for them.
Last weekend the group announced that it had hung one of the guards and would kill another in 10 days.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham saidIslamabad must be accountable, Iran calls for serious and swift measures by the Pakistani government towards the arrest and extradition of terrorists and to guarantee the health and return of the border guards.
Pakistan has denied Tehrans claims that it has pursued talks for the release of the guards, but Afkham declared:
Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with and concern about acts of terror in border regions and the Islamic Republic of Iran has stressed the need for necessary measures by Pakistan to prevent terrorists from crossing and using Pakistani territory.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of Parliaments National Security Committee,asserted, According to international law and neighborly conduct, the Pakistani government is responsible for protecting the lives of the kidnapped Iranian border guards.
Committee memberSeyed Baqer Hosseini declared, Experience has shown that our country has sustained much damage from Pakistan. He said that, if Pakistan did not cooperate, Tehran will directly enter the scene to free (the men).
There is no sign of a resolution to avoid another execution. Ajudiciary official in Sistan Baluchestan Province deniedthat Jeish al-Adl had put any demands for release of the four remaining guards.
Supreme Leader Commemorates Iran-Iraq War
The Supreme Leaderhas declared that the Iranian peoplecan defeat its enemies through unity, faith and resistance.
Ayatollah Khamenei announced, The biggest lesson of the Sacred Defense [the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88] was that it showed that a nation can overcome all hardly negotiable passes through unity, faith, trust in God Almighty and belief in the veracity of divine promises, and that it can, through resistance, force the enemy to retreat and be defeated.
Khamenei.ir@khamenei_ir
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Ayatollah #Khamenei: Do not let the memory of the holy defense era fade away from hearts. Seize the opportunity of #Rahian_e_Noor movement.
11:48 AM - 26 Mar 2014
Khamenei.ir@khamenei_ir
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The #holy_defense (1980-88) showed that a #nation can overcome all difficulties in the shadow of trust in #God.
11:55 AM - 26 Mar 2014
Khamenei.ir@khamenei_ir
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Some seek to denounce that era & particularly @IRKhomeinis stances, as they know that era is unforgettable and bears great influences.
12:02 PM - 26 Mar 2014
Presidents Special Adviser: Citizen Rights Charter Very Weak
Special Adviser to the President on Ethnic and Religious Minority Affairs Ali Yunesihas criticized the draftof the Citizen Rights Charter for not going far enough on certain issues, calling it very weak.
Yunesis comments follow recent criticism of the Charter by hardline critics of the government,including Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, the leader of the hardline opposition Endurance Front.
Yunesi also announced that he will establish the Sunni Consultative Council and advocated for more Sunni rights in the country.
By EA WorldView
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