Imran visits Iran

PM Khan and Rouhani tendered that terrorists will not be given permission to operate on Pakistani soil

Iran and Pakistan have historically enjoyed a congenial relationship but the journey has been tumultuous at times. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Iran came amidst a high-tension period where the countries had a prior meeting inexplicably called off and both suffered a spate of terrorist attacks. In fact, the entire subcontinent and surrounding regions remain in precarious circumstances. PM Khan’s primary purpose of visit was to prompt dialogue on the subject of terrorism — this is a welcome undertaking. The conclusions drawn at the meeting, however, are less satisfying and underwhelming.

PM Khan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tendered that terrorists will not be given permission to operate on Pakistani soil. This is reassuring but it is also something neither government has supposedly sanctioned before. The circumstances of the 1970s and 1980s during the Soviet-Afghan War were different than now despite some of the players being the same as before. The conflict caused Afghans to flee and most of them landed up in Pakistan and Iran. After that point, extremism uncontrollably expanded in the region with political warfare and proxy wars. The fact that terrorists from other countries have been discovered to be behind attacks on Pakistani soil and that the government has only recently begun scrambling to register refugees underscores that Pakistan had little control over who entered its borders. Thus, PM Khan and President Rouhani’s joint remarks with regard to possessing power to grant permission lean towards doubt and lack conviction. Militants have no regard for state-granted rights, moral and ethical values, or human life.

Plausibility exists, however, in PM Khan’s reiteration that security agencies from both countries will devise a strategy to combat militancy. At best, this will result in better security infrastructure in place in Pakistan as well as more and better trained personnel through the Joint Rapid Reaction Force though thwarting terrorism is not a short-term task. Guard of honour aside, there is wisdom in rescuing bilateral ties with Iran — considered a small but powerful nation — during this transitional time, in every regard, for Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2019.

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