A new beginning for Iran and Pakistan?
Iranian president has vowed to provide "energy security" to Pakistan.
Dunya News Report (Madiha Fareed)
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Pakistan is significant as it comes at a time where Iran is attempting to recover from the decades long international boycott and Pakistan has finally started to show maturity in its foreign policy.
In January, United States and European Union lifted the sanctions on Iran, releasing about $100 billion of country’s frozen assets and allowing Iran to export an extra 600,000 barrels of oil every day which has provided a fresh opportunity for Pakistan and Iran to explore the enormous potential for the bilateral trade.
Iranian president arrived in Islamabad for two-day visit on Friday. He was received by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the Nur Khan Airbase. The main agenda of the visit was to reinvigorate trade relations between two countries now that economic sanctions from Iran have been lifted. Dr. Rouhani held meetings with Pakistan’s top political and military leadership to discuss the security challenges that the both countries face and the ways to enhance people to people contact.
Speaking at an Iran-Pakistan joint Business forum on Saturday, Dr. Hassan Rouhani reaffirmed that Iran is committed to help Pakistan out in overcoming the chronic energy crisis. The Iranian president vowed to provide “energy security” for Pakistan regarding it as a “responsibility of Iran”.
He said that Iran is committed to provide electricity to Pakistan and also noted that work on gas pipeline is in progress while urging Pakistan to complete the halted work on Pakistan’s side of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. Iran had completed the construction work on its side in 2011, but Pakistan has been hesitant to hold its end of the bargain owing to international pressure because of the economic restrictions on Iran.
Pakistani Prime Minister announced at the occasion that the trade volume between two countries will be increased to $5 billion annually by 2021 in accordance to a five-year strategic action plan. Currently the trade volume sits at an unimposing $250 million.
The new Iranian president has been keen on making Iran an active member of international community. He is currently on a diplomatic campaign to soften Iran’s image and establish fresh and renewed relations with the neighboring countries. In July 2015 Iran had signed the nuclear deal “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” (JCPOA) with United States which has paved way in ending the decades long international seclusion of Iran.
Iranian president shed light on the cultural, historical and geographical ties between Pakistan and Iran. He reminded that Iran was the first country to acknowledge the existence of Pakistan. He also called for the unity of Muslim Ummah. He insisted that the sectarian divide among the Muslim Ummah is unbecoming, adding that “no one reads Iqbal and Shirazi as Shiite or Sunni”.
President Rouhani further continued that regional conditions necessitates the improvement of Tehran-Islamabad economic ties now more than ever, saying both countries should encourage their private sectors to participate in projects on investment, sharing technology and expertise, as well as defense and security.
Ahead of the visit, President Rouhani released a message to Pakistani nation. It said, “I believe that, at this crucial moment of the history of relations between two countries, mutual collaboration of the two countries can also be beneficial on regional and global level. Pakistan and Iran having been at the east-West Corridor, can account for a better share in global economic and cultural development. Both countries have potential to expand economic exchanges and cooperation greater than the volume of which is now they share.”
Apart from economic partnership, Pakistan’s cautious approach on the recent Saudi-Iran standoff has provided space for both Iran and Pakistan to rethink their strategic partnership. Pakistan has made it clear that it will not be a part of any alliance against Iran and refrained from taking sides in the diplomatic feud between Iran and KSA. However Iran has voiced concern over the Saudi-led 34-nation military coalition which Pakistan is also participating. Iran‘s ambassador to Pakistan has called the alliance “ridiculous” as it only includes Sunni nations. Saudi Arabia expects Pakistan to play an active role in the alliance, however the security analysts in Pakistan generally are of the view that Pakistan should lobby for inclusion of Shiite nations in the military alliance before presuming an active-role.
This recent visit of Dr. Rouhani is nonetheless a new beginning in the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran. Even though both counties have a shared culture and history but the relations between the two neighbors have never been fitting. Now however, there lies a unique opportunity for both countries to rethink their economic and strategic partnership in order to enhance trade and people to people contact. The question however is how the leadership of both countries is going to make the maximum of this exclusive opportunity.
