Tehran has decided to drop New Delhi from a key rail project and there are reports that the former is also negotiating a $400 billion military and trade agreement with Beijing. These two developments are significant for Pakistan, a country whose economic and security interests are closely allied with China and which sees India’s investment along its western border region as a national security threat.
Certainly, Pakistan sees this as an opportunity to build deeper ties with Iran. Historically, Pakistan and Iran’s bilateral relationship has remained tense mainly because of Islamabad’s close links with Riyadh. In the last few years, however, Pakistan has pushed to balance its relationship between the two countries. This effort is partially a result of Pakistan’s attempt to manage the prevailing lawlessness along its border with Iran. Arguably, a push in this regard may have also come from China, a country that sees the Pakistan-Iran border region as an essential part of its global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Going forward, it stands to reason that this mutual desire to establish peace on the Iran-Pakistan border region will receive solid support from China, whose regional economic and security interests are linked to a stable and peaceful Iran-Pakistan border. The development certainly offers Pakistan a respite on the entire western flank, which remain susceptible to foreign subversive attempts and Iran’s non-engagement on security front.
Omar Shahkar
Islamabad
