TEHRAN - General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Force, warned the Pakistanis on Thursday to be aware of attempts by Saudi Arabia to ruin their country through its “money”.

“Our concern is that why the Pakistani government and people let the Saudis provide Takfiris with money which will cause the world’s confrontation against Pakistan,” the general lamented.

On February 13, a car laden with explosives hit a bus of IRGC soldiers on Zahedan-Khash road in Iran’s border province of Sistan-Balouchestan, killing 27 and injuring the remaining 13.

The Pakistan-based Jaish ul-Adl Takfiri terrorist group, which has ties to al-Qaeda and the Al Saud regime, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan has vowed to cooperate with Iran in investigating the terrorist act. 

Soleimani said Iran does not want mere condolences, but concrete action from neighboring Pakistan, asking, “Can’t you, as a nuclear-armed state, deal with a hundreds-strong terrorist group in the region?”

The top general reiterated threats by other Iranian military and civilian officials that Tehran will not let the culprits behind the attack to go unpunished.

A few days after the incident, the IRGC Ground Force commander said the suicide attack on the bus was carried out by a Pakistani national. Two other Pakistani nationals involved in the attack have also been nabbed.

Iran has strongly criticized Islamabad for failing to protect its borders with Iran, saying Pakistan has been turned into a safe haven for terrorist outfits such as Jaish al-Adl.

Jaish al-Adl was founded after its parent group, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jundullah, was dissolved following the capture of its leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, by Iran in 2010.

In 2013, the group abducted and killed 14 Iranian forces in an ambush near the Iranian-Pakistani border.

The following year, at least five members of the Iranian security forces were also abducted.

In October 2018, the armed group abducted 12 Iranian security personnel near the city of Zahedan. Pakistani security forces later intervened and secured the release of at least five of the 12 abductees.

In November 2018, the Iranian Interior Ministry warned that Iranian armed forces may launch operations against terrorists inside the Pakistani territory in case Islamabad fails to do its part.

NA/PA