Daily Times

Lamentably, the world is at the verge of another deadly conflict; plunging the region in the darkness of obscurity. Simmering tensions between the two arch-foes, Iran and the US, have threatened the peace of the world in general and the region in particular. It is an irony that the death of General Qasim Sulemani has added fuel into an already crippling relationship. If we turn the pages of history, it can easily be palpable that before the 1979 revolution, Iran and the US had maintained cordial relations. Unfortunately, the 1979 Iranian revolution brought a dramatic turn in the arena of international politics. Iran remodelled into a theocratic Shia regime. In 1984, Iran was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the US. On the contrary, their interests coincided with each other in Afghanistan to fight against the Taliban. They fought shoulder to shoulder with each other, but the bubble of optimism proved to be short-lived.

The United States of America had always perceived Iran’s nuclear program as a threat to the world. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia played a vanguard role in encouraging this attitude of the US towards Iran’s nuclear nukes.

General Sulemani’s death might plunge the world into another deadly conflict

In July 2015, it was a watershed moment when the US entered a historic deal with Iran to give chance to the peace. It was famously known by the acronym P5+1. As a result, sanctions were lifted from Iran and she immediately got access to 100 billion dollars in its frozen assets and could pursue its status as a legitimate state.

As soon as Donald Trump entered the oval office, he started subduing Iran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal by giving the argument that it had not mentioned Iran’s role in the Middle East as well as its missile capability.

There is no denying the impression that Iran enjoys considerable influence in the Middle East. Be it to protect the Assad’s regime in Syria; give support to Houthi rebels in Yemen or aid Hamas in Lebanon.

General Qasim Sulemani was a prominent figure in Iran, pursuing the national interests in the Middle East. His death has voided the gulf between the two countries, which might plunge the world into another deadly conflict. In response, Iran retaliated by hitting the US bases in Iraq in which according to Donald Trump, everything was all right and all was well. Jawad Zarif tweeted that we retaliated according to article 51 of the UN. In this precarious situation, Pakistan’s role has increased multifold owing to its geographical proximity with Iran as its immediate neighbour. It shares similar religious and linguistic beliefs. It is evident beyond a shred of doubt that on the one side, Pakistan enjoys a cordial relationship with the KSA. It is a well-established fact that the KSA has always helped Pakistan in times of economic quandaries, It is home to a large number of Pakistani diasporas.

On the other hand, the US is the sole superpower that enjoys considerable influence on world politics as well as international institutions. In the meantime, Pakistan is striving to keep itself out of the FATF grey list. So going against the US, it cannot secure Pakistan’s interest in the best possible fellow.

Pakistan has made it clear that it will not allow anyone to use its territory against any state. It is a welcoming sign that Pakistan adopted the policy of neutrality and reiterated that the world should play its part as a peacekeeper. It can easily be palpable that the recent visit of Shah Mehmood Qureshi to Tehran and Riyadh to restore peace in the region is being appreciated by the world.

No doubt, the threat of war still looms over the region. For the sake of humanity, both states should adopt the policy of de-escalation. It is the need of the hour that they resolve their differences through table-talks. Pakistan also needs to step up and take the lid; disentangling both arch-foes from the web of war hysteria, something it has already done in the past.

The writer is a Doctor of Pharmacy who has interests in socio- economic and international affairs