Tension with Iran

Pakistan-Iran needs to initiate high-level civilian and military contact to resolve the border issues


Editorial October 22, 2014

Ambassadors have been summoned in both Tehran and Islamabad as the deadly clashes on the borders of Iran and Pakistan continue. The summoning of ambassadors is a significant upping of the ante in diplomatic terms, usually indicative of a deterioration in relations rather than a cooling of international fevers. Iran has demanded that Pakistan take immediate steps to stop attacks by what it calls “terrorists and rebels”. Pakistan has lodged a formal protest over the death of a paramilitary soldier and the wounding of three others on October 16-17. Two Iranian border guards died in the same incident. Iran has reportedly continued to fire artillery shells and mortars into a Pakistani town in Balochistan. The clashes have been going on for several months but appear to have increased in intensity in the last month.

At the heart of the dispute is the generally poor quality of security in Balochistan. The federal and provincial grip on the province is weak and it is home to a variety of nationalist, terrorist and simply criminal groups that seemingly operate at will. The Jaishul Adl group captured five Iranian troops in February 2014. Four were released in April and the fifth is still missing. There seems to be little chance that hostilities are going to cease any time in the near future, and the sectarian conflicts that span the borders are no more likely of resolution today than they have been for the last millennia. Iran has already sent a raiding party two killometres into Pakistan, targeting a house in Naukundi in Chaghi district. Unless Pakistan is able to effectively crack down on those who cross the border, then Iran is going to make the rules up as it goes along. Hot pursuit now seems to be its preferred response to what it sees as terrorist infiltration under the nose of Pakistani security forces. We must, at the very least, give Iran nothing to complain about by addressing its concerns. Both sides need to show restraint here and perhaps, initiate high-level civilian and military contact to resolve this issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2014.

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COMMENTS (2)

Hari Om | 9 years ago | Reply

Why is it that besides Iran, India and Afghanistan also require to resort to gun fire to get Pakistan to do her duty of reigning in terrorists and behaving in a manner that is required by the comity of nations?

Mohan | 9 years ago | Reply

The article is incomplete without the usual conspiracy theory of Indian hand in creating trouble for Pakistan.

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