Iran-Pakistan Conflict: Both Countries Striking Each Other’s Territory

GS Paper II International Relations

Context:

Recently, Iran launched a missile attack inside Pakistan’s Balochistan province, targeting the bases of the terrorist group Jaish al-Adl.

The Focal point of this operation was the region known as Kouh-Sabz (green mountain) in Balochistan, recognized as one of the largest hubs for the Jeysh al-Dhulm militants.

Untitled 62

India’s Response: India has an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism and it understands actions that countries take in their self-defense.
Pakistan’s Retaliatory Response: Pakistan air force launched the operation named “Marg Bar Sarmachar” in Iran’s Siestan-Balochistan province.

Untitled 61

Jaish al-Adl: It is a Sunni Salafist militant group with bases in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, active in the mountainous border regions of Pakistan and Iran.
Goal: It claims to be fighting for the independence of the Sistan and Baluchestan (known as Asli Balouchestan) province in the southeastern corner of Iran, bordering Pakistan’s Balochistan province and the Indian Ocean.

Baloch People: They are an ethnic group spread across the Pakistani province of Balochistan and Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province.
- They speak the Balochi language and have a unique cultural identity, different from ethnic Persians in Iran or Pashtun, Sindhi and Pakistani people of Pakistan.
Minority Group: Currently, there are about 7 million Baloch people living in Pakistan and around 2 million Balochis live in Iran. This makes them a minority group in both countries and highly marginalized.
Religious Persecution: In Iran, the largely Sunni Baloch minority has faced religious persecution by the Shia state, especially after the Revolution of 1979, and Sistan and Baluchestan remain among the poorest regions of the country.
Anti-Iran Baloch Militants: They have long operated from Pakistan, working along with Pakistani Balochi insurgents.