Pakistan and Iran are in a new security reset. The eagerness between the two countries to undo the bad blood that had crept in the wake of jingoism of missile strikes on each other’s restive territories in Balochistan and Sistan is astute leadership. The resumption of full-fledged diplomatic relations, after a brief rupture, and the willingness to further the mosaic of trade and security cooperation is a case in point. Moreover, the two countries have mustered the necessary courage to go ahead with the suspended gas pipeline project, notwithstanding American pressure, and it is a telling tale of prioritising their relations in relevance with the evolving dynamics of geo-economics. This new realisation is in need of being replicated by both the states in their respective neighbourhood too, in order to mull on a secure security format.
The telephonic conversation on the occasion of Eid between President Asif Ali Zardari and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi was on the spot. The reiteration on their part to push the envelope of cooperation by buoying trade and cultural interaction, and share notes in the security premise was much desired. That both the leaders took a holistic view of the plummeting security situation, especially after Israeli aggression over Damascus in which an Iranian mission was hit, spelt out the concern for each other. Similarly, the Gaza deadlock is a grim reminder of a mass scale revulsion on the streets of the Muslim world, and both the leaders aptly had a word on it. This understanding is in need of being graduated into a formal policy and the two states foment a security solution on the diplomatic horizon.
The region is in a flux, and non-state actors are having a field day. On the other hand, the daredevil barbarism and genocide of Israel has no limits, and the region of Middle East and Persian Gulf is in the eye of the storm. Pakistan and Iran must share their notes, and bring in other responsible players from the region including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey to ensure that war is no option on the table.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2024.
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