Daily Times

The Foreign Minister of Iran was on a three-day visit to Pakistan, reflecting a forward-looking approach towards building mutual trust between the two neighbouring powerful regional states. Dr Javad Zarif during his visit, with high-level officials, met the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi along with interactive sessions at different think tanks and media appearances.

Despite all odds, Iran and Pakistan began adjusting themselves towards the changing dynamics of regional and international political realities, especially after the beginning of the 2018 wherein the new policy announcement from the Trump administration has caused ripples in the regional political milieu. The analysts are expecting that the trip will bridge the gap and bring a much-desired thaw in the relations between two important Muslim countries and will have a significant long-term impact in the regional political landscape.

There is also a possibility of minimising the misunderstanding between the neighbours after Pakistan’s recent regional adjustment of joining the Saudi Arabia-led military alliance of 39 nations having a covert objective of containment and encirclement of Iran. This Saudi-Iran rivalry is shaping the regional political dynamics, which is also impacting the relations of Iran with Pakistan.

On the other hand, Pakistan considers the extensive involvement of India in Chabahar port as a security threat due to its geographical proximity to the Balochistan province. It was a wise move from Dr Zarif for offering to build a connection between the two ports — which reflects that there is an urge from Iran to remove all Pakistani reservations regarding growing India and Iran relations. Pakistan needs to think about the offer seriously as this seriously will provide much fruit to not only Pakistan but to the entire region.

For strong and stable relations, Iran and Pakistan need to balance their ties with Saudi Arabia and India respectively

Since the inception of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Iran, there have been many ups and downs. Both states remain cordial as well as cold as a result of the several issues of political nature. Iran was the first country which developed diplomatic relations with Pakistan after the partition of the subcontinent. Before the recent Iran nuclear deal, relations between Pakistan and Iran remained complex. Since the removal of the international sanctions, Tehran moved to improve its ties.

Although both states are connected in a bond of friendship and religion, there is a strong urge for the revival of the congeniality of the relations in all spheres of the ties including economics, education and people to people contacts. Both states have supported each other at all the significant forums including the UN, OIC and others. The world is becoming more and more interdependent and economy, trade and business are becoming relevant aspects of the foreign policy of any state.

Despite sharing borders with each other, Pakistan and Iran are unable to reap the benefits of the economic potentials of each other. However, significant projects like Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline and other mutual plans need to start soon. Both states realise that economy and security are interlinked, and for both nations, economic prosperity depends upon the security landscape internally and throughout the region.

The visit of Dr Zarif is at the right time and will provide an opportunity to set the stage to develop the strong relations and collaborate on different issues, especially energy. Iran is amongst the largest producers of the oil and gas, and the IP pipeline needs to be ultimately completed as early as possible to help build Pakistan’s energy-starved economy.

The visit of the Iranian foreign minister is significant at a time when Iran is facing internal and external challenges. Recently, the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to put Tehran under the severe economic sections.

In order to come out of this pressure, Tehran is seeking to enhance and diversify its economic base and is looking for partnerships with the regional allies. By building bilateral relations with Pakistan, Iran will not only be able to conduct trade but will also be able to carry on the trade with China through Gwadar port and the connectivity projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Iran has also reflected its willingness to become part of the CPEC and also invited Pakistan and China to partner in the Chabahar port. Both Gwadar and Chabahar ports need to be interlinked with the sea and land routes for the development of the entire region. The linkages of both the ports have deep-rooted economic, geostrategic and geopolitical significance.

There is also a strong need to collaborate to tackle the menace of terrorism and the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan. For both Iran and Pakistan, a secure and stable Afghanistan is in favour of regional peace and stability. Iran has always recognised Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror. Iran is also facing the brunt. Hence there is a need for the joint action.

The capture of the Indian spy at the Iranian soil has caused the growing coldness in the relations, but the recent high-level visits and continuous dialogue has led to the increased engagement and support for better understanding. For strong and stable relations, Iran and Pakistan need to handle their biggest challenge: to balance their ties with Saudi Arabia and India respectively. Pakistan should stay neutral in the historical rivalry of Saudi Arabia and Iran. It should act as a bridge between Iran and the Arab world to promote peace and harmony in the Middle East. On the other hand, Iran needs to understand the history of animosity between India and Pakistan.

The writer is Director, Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies and Secretary General Pakistan SCO Friendship Forum

Published in Daily Times, March 22^nd 2018.