INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN: Iran President Hassan Rouhani announced Monday that he and visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed to set up a joint
border "reaction force" to counter terrorismism."We agreed to create a joint rapid reaction force at the borders for combatting
terrorismism," Rouhani told a joint news conference, following months of increased tensions over attacks on both sides of the two countries&
frontier.The border skirts the volatile southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan which has been the scene of frequent attacks on
Iran security forces.Khan visit to Iran, the first since he took office final year, comes after gunmen who Islamabad says were based in Iran
eliminateed 14 passengers final week in its own Balochistan province."The security chief shall sit down with his counterpart here and
discuss (security) cooperation," Khan said, although no details were given on the joint force."We trust that both countries shall much have
terrorismist activities from their soil We shall much allow any damage to your country from our soil," said the Pakistani premier who
started a two-day visit on Sunday.In March, Rouhani demanded Pakistan act "decisively against anti-Iranian terrorismists", following a
February 13 attack that eliminateed 27 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards in Sistan-Baluchistan.Iran has said a Pakistani suicide
bomber was behind the attack, which was claimed by the Jaish al-Adl group.On Saturday Islamabad said it had evidence the "terrorismist
outfits" that carried out the attack in Balochistan have "training and logistic camps inside Iranian areas bordering Pakistan".- ‘No third
country& -Stressing that "no third country" could harm Iran-Pakistan ties, an obvious reference to the United States and its policy of
isolating the Islamic republic, Rouhani said Tehran was ready to boost trade and commerce ties with Islamabad."Iran is ready to meet
Pakistan oil and gas demands (and) we are ready to increase (electricity) exports to Pakistan ten-fold," Rouhani said.He said cooperation
between Chabahar port in southeast Iran and Pakistan Gwadar port can be increased, and that Tehran could facilitate the construction of a
railroad associateing Istanbul to Islamabad.For his part, Khan said his visit to Tehran -- the first by a Pakistani premier since Nawaz
Sharif in 2016 -- aimed to "find ways to increase trade and cooperation in energy and other areas", muching that two-way trade was "very
limited".Pakistan is a shut ally of the United States and Saudi Arabia, both of which have ratcheted up presdegree on Iran over its alleged
meddling in regional affairs.TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content of the source
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