Uncertainty About the Location of Abducted Iranian Border Guards: 'They Have Been Passed Around'

A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly states that the location of the abducted border guards from Mirjaveh is still unclear and they have 'been passed around.' The Jaish al-Adl group announced in late October of this year that they attacked a security base in Mirjaveh County and took 12 Iranian border guards captive. After the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced in November that five of the 12 abducted border guards had been 'freed' and were under the 'control' of the Pakistani government, these five returned to the country on December 1. However, Morteza Safari Natanz, a member of parliament, regarding the latest status of the other border guards from Mirjaveh, who are members of the IRGC, said: 'This matter is being pursued. I also summoned the Pakistani ambassador here (to parliament) last week, and he promised to follow up and ensure their release. Apparently, the location of all of them has not yet been discovered, and they have been passed around a bit.' This representative did not provide further explanation about the 'passing around' of the Mirjaveh border guards and the groups involved in this matter. His statements come as in November of this year, Mohammad Naeem Amiri-Fard, the head of the representatives of Sistan and Baluchestan province, stated that the abducted Iranian border guards had been transferred to 'an area near' the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and the central government in Islamabad 'has no control over these areas.' It has also been previously reported that they are being held 'far' from the Iranian borders. According to ILNA, Morteza Safari Natanz, in response to the question of whether if the location of the border guards is discovered, there would be a possibility of conducting 'advisory operations' by Iran on Pakistani soil for their release, said that 'our priority is not to conduct advisory operations inside another country's territory.' This representative added: 'If the established government of Pakistan carries out this operation itself, it is beneficial for us, but if they do not do this and it becomes evident to us that Pakistan does not want to do this, then we will have to make a decision.' On January 7, Hashmatollah Flahati-Pisheh, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, told the Tasnim news agency that negotiations for the release of the abducted border guards between Iran and Pakistan are ongoing. According to Mr. Flahati-Pisheh, the Iranian Foreign Minister and other government officials are engaged in 'official negotiations' with Pakistan, and the National Security Commission has contacted the Pakistani embassy several times. However, aside from emphasizing the continuation of negotiations, no further details about the process have been disclosed. The public relations office of the IRGC Ground Forces also stated in their announcement on December 1 regarding the freedom and return of five of the abducted Iranian border guards that this was achieved through 'efforts made and consultations and interactions with the Pakistani side' and that 'efforts and consultations' for the release of the other border guards are also ongoing. This announcement did not mention which group or groups the Islamic Republic has consulted with in this regard. The Quds Headquarters of the IRGC, after the abduction of these 12 border guards, officially introduced 'the betrayal of the infiltrating agent or agents' as the cause of this incident. The Jaish al-Adl group, which has repeatedly clashed with Iranian border guards in this province and has taken some of them hostage or killed them, claims to defend the 'Sunni people' in Sistan and Baluchestan province.