QUETTA: Home Secretary Balochistan Asad Rehman Gilani has said if Iran provided information about the whereabouts of its kidnapped soldiers in Pakistani territory, only then would Pakistan security forces conduct operation for their recovery.

"Iranians are not allowed to conduct operation inside Pakistan," Gilani told Dawn.com on Tuesday evening.

A Sunni militant group Jaish ul Adl (Party of Justice) claimed to have kidnapped five Iranian border guards on February 6 this year.

The incident prompted the two neighboring countries, two weeks ago, to hold 17th joint border commission meeting in Quetta to ensure the safe recovery of the border guards.

"We will verify Iranian information and then Pakistani forces would conduct an operation," Gilani explained.

Pakistan has already nominated a focal person to share information with Iranian officials regarding the recovery of kidnapped border guards.

Home Secretary revealed that Regional Police Officer (RPO) Gwadar, Moazam Jan was already appointed as a focal person to coordinate with Iranian border guards to recover the soldiers.

"We have also formed a committee comprising DPO Gwadar, officers of intelligence agencies in this regard," Gilani said.

Iran and Pakistan agreed to step up efforts to ensure legal movement at the border and stop infiltration and border violation during the three days joint border commission meeting.

Frontier Crops (FC) had arrested Iranian and African nationals a few days back during search operations near the Pak-Iran border for the recovery of the abducted soldiers.

"We had recovered weapons from the possession of arrested foreign nationals," Khan Wasey, the spokesman for FC said.

Asad Rehman Gilani also said that the number of personnel of frontier corps would be increased to maintain law and order and bring an end to attacks at railway tracks, gas pipelines and other vital national installations in the province.

"FC plays an important role in maintaining law and order," Gilani said.

The provincial government had deployed FC in Quetta and other troubled parts of Balochistan owing to increasing incidents of terrorism.

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