WHILE Iranian and Pakistani leaders are quick to point out the historical, cultural and geographical links Tehran and Islamabad share, the truth is that there is much unrealised potential within this relationship. The recently concluded two-day visit of President Hassan Rouhani to Pakistan, in which the Iranian leader led a large delegation of officials and businessmen, can be a turning point in improving bilateral relations in every sphere — political, economic, cultural etc. For long, Pakistan was hesitant to respond to the overtures of its western neighbour, mainly due to the nuclear sanctions that had been slapped on Iran. But now that Tehran has mostly been freed of these strictures, there should be little standing in the way of a more productive bilateral relationship. President Rouhani met Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership, discussing economic and geopolitical matters.
From Pakistan’s perspective, if the fruits of regional economic integration, eg through projects like CPEC, are to be reaped by this country, then there is no alternative but to trade with our neighbours.
Currently, bilateral trade with Iran stands at an unimpressive $250m. In comparison, Iran’s trade with other regional states, such as India and the UAE, is worth billions of dollars. Instead of trading through third countries or letting smugglers exploit the situation, both countries would do well to create the infrastructure and legal platforms that can facilitate smooth cross-border trade and people-to-people contacts. Strangely, there was no mention of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline; the Iranian president reportedly called for finalising the project soon. The government must explain why this key scheme was not brought up during such an important visit. As for security and geopolitical matters, it is welcome that possibilities of cooperation between Gwadar and Chabahar were discussed. These ports need not be rivals; instead, both can have a role to play in promoting regional connectivity.
About India’s closeness with Iran and reports of the involvement of Indian intelligence in Balochistan — which shares a long border with Iran — the Iranian and Pakistani security establishments need to discuss the issue constructively. If Pakistan has solid evidence that Iranian soil is being used against this country, then it must be presented to Tehran. In the past, Iranian officials have also claimed that anti-Tehran militants have found refuge in Pakistan. Both Islamabad and Tehran must realise that instead of pointing fingers, a combined effort is needed to combat militants and criminals operating in the border region, as insecurity in either country will make dreams of economic integration unrealisable.
Moreover, regardless of how the situation develops in the Middle East, Pakistan should endeavour to maintain cordial links with Iran as well as Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arabs. The months ahead will tell whether or not the promises made in Islamabad by the respective leaderships will translate into a robust, healthy bilateral relationship.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1248286/rouhanis-visit
Comments are closed.