Iran President Raisi woos Pakistan amid Israel tensions

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (l) and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (r) had a ‘vibrant discussion’ on advancing bilateral relations, said Islamabad

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Monday for a three-day official visit, as the two Muslim-majority neighbors seek to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes earlier this year.

“The Iranian president is accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the group also included the foreign minister, other cabinet members and senior officials.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said both leaders had a “vibrant discussion” on advancing bilateral relations.

They also “agreed on the necessity for joint efforts by both countries to combat terrorism,” it added.

Before leaving Tehran, Raisi had said the “discussions with the government of Pakistan will be on the border issues between the two countries.”

A challenging border security situation

Pakistan, a Sunni-majority country, and Iran , a Shiite nation, have a history of rocky relations.

Tensions between the two countries heightened at the start of this year following deadly cross-border strikes.

Iran launched airstrikes against suspected insurgents in Pakistani territory in January. Tehran said it targeted the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, which it holds responsible for several attacks on civilians and soldiers in Iran.

Pakistan then retaliated with an attack on an Iranian village near the city of Sarawan, saying that it was targeting fighters of the separatist Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).

Both Jaish al-Adl and the BLF are militant separatist groups fighting for the independence of Balochistan, a mineral-rich region that spans the Iran-Pakistan border.The latter does not have religious inclinations.

The Pakistani province of Balochistan forms the largest part, followed by the province of Sistan and Balochistan on the Iranian side.

The region is sparsely populated by some nine million Balochs who are organized into tribes rather than feeling that they belong to a state.

Efforts for autonomy or independence have been violently suppressed on both sides of the border for decades.

In recent years, Balochs have become increasingly radicalized, accusing both governments of systematic discrimination and plundering their region.

Several groups of militant insurgents have carried out attacks on both sides of the border, afterwards retreating into the neighboring country across the 900-kilometer (550-mile) border, which is difficult to navigate and control.

Iran, Pakistan seek to cool tensions

Following the cross-border strikes, however, Iran and Pakistan agreed to cool tensions and improve security ties.

As part of the rapprochement, they agreed to fight terrorism within their respective areas and establish a system of consultations at the level of the foreign ministers to oversee progress across sectors.

Ahsan Raza, a Lahore-based political analyst, believes that Raisi’s trip is meant to repair the bilateral relationship. The visit also gains significance, he said, against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East after Tehran recently launched an unprecedented attack on Israel involving multiple drones and missiles.

Even though Raisi’s trip to Pakistan had been planned before the Iranian attack on Israel, observers in Pakistan say Iran is now under increased pressure to bolster its ties with countries in the region as the West tightens sanctions on Tehran in response to Iranian actions.

Muhammad Akram, a former Pakistani senator, said Tehran is seeking Islamabad’s moral and diplomatic backing amid the tense geopolitical landscape.

Iran has good ties with China, Russia and some Central Asian states, Akram pointed out, noting that Tehran also wants Pakistan to join this list of friendly nations.

Talat A Wizarat, former head of department of international relations at Karachi University, echoes this view.

“Iran would definitely want Pakistan to support Tehran politically and diplomatically. If that is not possible, then the Iranians would want Pakistan to avoid being part of any anti-Iranian move or plan,” he told DW.

Pakistan reliant on US, Saudi help

Islamabad, however, has historically been closer to Tehran’s rivals, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Pakistan has also been in a state of grave economic turmoil.

PM Sharif’s government is currently seeking another bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to tackle the country’s acute balance-of-payments crisis.

In the current situation, it will be tough for Islamabad to extend any support to Iran, said Naeem Khalid Lodhi, a former defense secretary.

Pakistan is heavily reliant on US-dominated international financial institutions for assistance, Lodhi told DW.

“That’s why Pakistan won’t be able to support Iran in the current tense Middle Eastern situation for fear of infuriating Washington, which has helped Pakistan secure loans from the institutions.”

Can Pakistan build the Iran gas pipeline?

Raisi has said the visit is also aimed at boosting overall trade between Iran and Pakistan, which currently stands at around $2.5 billion (€2.35 billion) a year.

Their highest profile agreement is a stalled gas supply deal signed in 2010 to build a pipeline from Iran’s South Fars gas field to Pakistan’s southern provinces of Balochistan and Sindh.

Despite Pakistan’s dire need of gas, Islamabad has yet to begin construction of its part of the pipeline, citing fears over US sanctions.

Iran is now threatening Pakistan with legal action if it fails to build the Pakistani section of the pipeline.

Faced with the possibility of contract breach penalties running into the billions of dollars, Islamabad recently gave the go-ahead for construction of an 80-kilometer (50-mile) stretch of the pipeline.

But following the Pakistani announcement, the US said it did not support the project from going forward. Washington also warned about the risk of sanctions in doing business with Tehran.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

Author: S. Khan (in Islamabad)