Iran’s air attack on the Southwestern region of Pakistan’s Balochistan province targeting it’s terror camps accusing the latter of harbouring and sheltering terrorists is being seen with a lot of scepticism, cynicism and suspicion by the Pakistani establishment.
Coming on the day when Pakistan’s care taker Prime Minister Anwaar- Ul- Haq Kakar was in Tehran to cement and strengthen its bilateral ties with Iran, Pakistan has termed this blatant and unprovoked escalation a violation of its sovereignty calls for retaliation are but seen as natural, Pakistan at this point would like to practice restrain and caution knowing it’s likely repercussions as Tehran has conducted similar punitive air attacks in the Kurdistan region of Syria with its rebels posing a grave danger and threat to the peace and security of Iran.
Both, Iran and Pakistan share a border of 559 km a sanctuary for home grown militants testing the might of Tehran sponsoring terror attacks on its soil. From Jaish Al Adal to Jaish E Mohammad all these groups have become deep non state actors holding to their forte designing the response of Pakistani state with a tacit backing of military apparatus in Islamabad. Unfortunately, further bringing a thaw in their strategic relationships.
Saudi Arabia which wields significant influence in Organisation of Islamic Conference and a valuable ally of Pakistan, Iran is the next door neighbour for Pakistan on which it is thoroughly dependent from energy to commerce. Its important for Pakistan to tide above its phase for its own stability and prosperity in a region which has become so volatile and a hotbed of conflict and chaos ever since the Israel Palestine war sprung up.
Pakistan’s economy, polity and society is in a terrible shape and its refusal to refuse the reform path will wreck more havoc irrespective of who has the edge in February 08th general elections. It should get more real than by a plot which has only made it averse not alerting to the challenges ahead