Pakistan-Iran relations
by
Javed Hafiz |
Pakistan-Iran relations make an interesting study. These have oscillated from very warm ties in the 1960s to poor understanding in the 1990s. Since then, the relationship has improved but not regained its original strength. However, it is incumbent upon the two nations to cooperate with each other, for their mutual benefit. They have a long and porous common border in the desert which has been used by all kinds of groups on both sides for the fulfilment of their nefarious designs. That makes security co-operation essential for years to come. Pakistan’s growing energy needs and abundance of gas in Iran also creates a symbiotic relationship in foreseeable future.
Since 1947, when Pakistan was established, both countries have shown a lot of political deference and respect to each other. A mention of some historic firsts would help in putting things in proper perspective. Iran was the first nation to recognise Pakistan and the Shah of Iran was the first foreign leader to visit Pakistan. In 1979, Pakistan was the first nation to recognise the Islamic Republic of Iran. The 1960s were a golden period of bilateral relations. Both Iran and Pakistan first became members of the Baghdad Pact and then of the Central Treaty Organisation (Cento). This became a powerful block of Iran, Turkey and Pakistan with the explicit aim of containing the spread of communism. On the economic front, the three countries established the Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD).
The second phase in relations started in 1971 when East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Pakistan had lost more than half of its population and considerable weight in the international arena. Thinking that balkanization of Pakistan may continue, the Shah of Iran issued a statement which was not liked in Pakistan. He said that if Pakistan was to fragment further, Iran would not watch the process as a quiet spectator. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the first Pakistani leader who realised the importance of the Arab world in Pakistan’s foreign policy. So he started forging close ties with the Arab nations in general and the Gulf countries in particular. He called a summit meeting of the Islamic leaders in Lahore and the Shah of Iran did not come, despite invitation. This showed that the Pakistan-Iran relations were not the same as they used to be.
After the Islamic revolution in 1979, Pakistan was quick to recognise the new government in Iran. This clearly meant that as far as Pakistan was concerned, the friendship with Iran was a constant denominator and not merely friendship between leaders. There was lot of euphoria in Pakistan for the revolution next door. However, those expectations of a long friendship and co-operation came to a naught soon. The developments in Afghanistan negatively impacted on the great expectations in Pakistan of a close relationship with the revolutionary leadership in Iran. In Afghanistan, Pakistan collaborated with the United States against the Soviet intervention. In Teheran, the US Embassy episode was to impact very badly on its relationship with Washington. When the first Gulf war started, Teheran gravitated towards the Soviet Union, in search of arms. Thus, for the first time, we see the two Muslim nations developing divergent views in international politics.
The relations hit a new low when the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan and their government was recognised by Islamabad. Thank heavens, the Taliban rule was short. In the post 9/11 period, the relations witnessed a thaw, though in a small measure. Iran was keen to export its gas to the energy deficient Pakistan and India. The idea not only made ample economic sense but could also lead to Indo-Pak co-operation. Right now, it has fallen prey to the international power politics. However, it has not lost its relevance and could be revived any time in future.
Pakistan and Iran have a lot in common by way of geography, language, religion and history. Persian remained the court language of India for a long time and has a close affinity with Urdu, Pakistan’s national language. Both belong to the Indo-European family of languages and their sentence structure is very similar. That is why an average Pakistani picks up Persian easily. There is no border problem or other similar problems between the two nations. Indeed, there is ample opportunity to co-operate for border security in order to curb terrorism, drug trafficking and human smuggling. Pakistan has all along supported Iranian right to a peaceful nuclear programme under IAEA safeguards.
Afghanistan is one area which provides opportunities for co-operation but if not handled wisely, could also become a bone of contention for a long time. Very wisely, the Iranian government called a trilateral summit meeting of the three countries in 2009. The mechanism to organise closer bilateral co-operation exists but is underutilised. Meetings of the bilateral committees and commissions have been sporadic. The trade potential has not been optimised. Right now, the two leaderships seem engrossed in their internal problems. But in the long run this relationship is bound to flourish, once again.
(Javed Hafiz is Pakistan’s former ambassador to the Sultanate) |
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