Iran–Pakistan relations

Iran-Pakistan relations

Pakistan	Iran

The South-western part of Pakistan is aligned with the Iranian plateau.

Relations between Iran and Pakistan have spanned since the common prehistoric Indo-Iranian heritage which connects all of Persian empire with the Indo-Aryan civilization of the Indus Valley from 3000–2000 BC. This also includes a shared Indo-Parthian and Indo-Scythian civilization of antiquity to the strongly Persianized Islamic empires in South central Asia in the 13th to 19th centuries. The Western region of Pakistan was one part of the easternmost satraps provinces of Persian empire which included the areas of Satraps provinces of present-day Pakistan. Even as of today, many antique and historic buildings in Pakistan have classical Persian writings on manuscript of the buildings.

After the establishment of Pakistan on August 1947, Iran has a unique distinction of being the first country to internationally recognized the status of Pakistan. As of current, each is the other's chief economic partner and large-scale tourism and migration between the two nations has increased rapport. Military collaboration began in 1950-1960s with Pakistan Armed Forces began the training of the Iranian Armed Forces in joint and modern warfare. This cooperation would continue throughout the Cold war with Iran supporting Pakistan in its conflicts with arch-rival, India. In return, Pakistan went on to support Iran militarily during the Iran–Iraq War in 1980s. The most serious breach in the relationship was the fourth phase of Afghan civil war, which saw the Pakistan's uttermost backing of Taliban forces and counter-backing from Indo-Iranian forces. However since 2000, the relations between each state has been normalized and strong economical and military collaboration has strengthened the relations ever since.

Once partially part of together in the Persian Empire, both are officially designated as the Iranian Cultural Continent. Recent difficulties have included repeated trade disputes, influence of sphere, and political position. While Pakistan's foreign policy maintains balance relations with Saudi Arabia, United States and the European Union, Iran tends to warn against it and raised concern including the Pakistan's absolute backing of Taliban during the third phase of civil war in Afghanistan during the last ending years of 20th century. Nevertheless, the economic and trade relations continued to expanded in both absolute and relative terms, and relations were immensely improved in 1999 that led the subsequent signing of Free Trade Agreement between two countries. At present, both countries are cooperating and forming alliance against a number of areas of mutual interest on fighting drug trade along their common border as well as defeating Afghan supported tribal insurgency along their border. They are both members of the Developing 8 Countries group of countries as well as the Economic Cooperation Organization; and are also both observers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Country comparison

	Iran	Pakistan
Population	75,000,000	176,516,000
Area	1,648,195 km² (636,372 sq mi)	796,095 km² (307,374 sq mi)
Population Density	45.3/km² (117.4/sq mi)	214.3/km² (555/sq mi)
Capital	Tehran	Islamabad
Largest City	Tehran	Karachi
Government	Islamic republic, Theocratic Unitary state	Islamic Republic, Federal Parliamentary democratic republic
National language	Persian	Urdu, English (Pakistani dialect)
Main Religions	98% Islam (90% Shi'a 10% Sunni), 2% religious minorities, including Bahá'ís, Mandeans, Yarsanis, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians	95-98% Islam (85% Sunni, 10% Shi'a), 1.6% Christianity, 1.6% Hinduism, others
GDP (nominal)	$357.221 billion ($4,740 per capita)	$210.8 billion ($1,049 per capita)
GDP (PPP)	$818.7 billion	$464 billion
Military expenditures	$9.3 billion	$5.0 billion

Indo-European heritage

Main articles: Alexander the Great, Wars of Alexander the Great, Alexander's Indian campaign, and Indo-European people

The cultural relationships between Pakistan and Iran have spanned since the common prehistoric Indo-Iranian heritage which connects all of Persian empire with the Indo-Aryan civilization of the Indus Valley from 3000–2000 BC.

This also includes a shared Indo-Parthian and Indo-Scythian kingdoms of antiquity to the strongly Persianized Islamic empires in South central Asia in the 13th to 19th centuries. The region of Pakistan also represented the easternmost satraps provinces of Persian empire which included the areas of Satraps provinces of present-day Pakistan. Even as of today, many antique and historic buildings in Pakistan have Persian writing on them. There are also many Persian ruins spread across the country and there is a significant number of buildings still standing from the Persian era. There is a long history of contact and mutual influence between the two nations, with significant aspects of Pakistani culture and traditions are influenced from Iranian cultures. After the conquest of Asia by Alexander the Great, the Greeks left a pronounced cultural heritage to regions who are now part of modern-day Pakistan. Unlike its influence in Iranian culture, the Greek culture and heritage have been better integrated and even managed to expand beyond the former Achaemenid frontiers (now Pakistan) beyond the Punjab, Sindh, Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir, as well as becoming the culture became masters of today's modern-day society of Pakistan in the early 2nd century BC.

Even as of today, many antique and historic buildings in Pakistan have Persian writing on them. There are also many Persian ruins spread across the country and there is a significant number of buildings still standing from the Persian era. There is a long history of contact and mutual influence between the two nations, with significant aspects of Pakistani culture and traditions are influenced from Iranian cultures.

Persian language and culture in Pakistan

See also: Persian and Urdu

An Iranian stamp commemorating the centenary of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, printed in 1976.

The Urdu literature is heavily indebt to Persian literature and adages reference of Saadi Shirazi are commonly used by the people of Pakistan. The Qawwali, a popular art , performed at religious shrines in Pakistan derives it strength from Persian poetry. Iranian poets Hafiz Shirazi and Omar Khayyám are household words in Pakistan as is Allama Iqbal in Iran.

The Persian speaking Qizilbash tribe settled in northern regions of modern Pakistan and their numbers were further increased with the arrival of tens of thousands of Qizilbash refugees from neighboring Afghanistan when they were termed enemies of the state by the then Emir of Afghanistan for allegedly siding with the British Raj in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839 to 1842). Persian as an official language was abolished from the region with the arrival of the British in the province of Sindh in 1843 and Punjab in 1849 to minimize the influence of Persia on the regions that now make up Pakistan and to integrate these regions with the rest of South Asia. It is still spoken and understood by the educated elite as a literary and prestigious language, especially in the fields of music (Qawwali) and art. The National Anthem of Pakistan, while written in Urdu, has heavy poetic vocabulary from Persian. Many distinctly Persian forms of literature, such as Ghazal, Qasida, Marsia and Nazms, directly carried over into Urdu literature, producing a distinct melding of Persian heritages. A famous cross-over writer was Amir Khusro, whose Persian and Urdu couplets are to this day read in Pakistan. Allama Iqbal, the renowned poet-philosopher and the national poet of Pakistan, wrote much of his poetry in the Persian. He is known as Iqbal-e-Lahori ("Iqbal of Lahore") among Persian-speakers. Many Persian speaking refugees, mainly speakers of the Dari, Hazaragi and Tajik dialects, from Afghanistan and Tajikistan have also settled in Pakistan permanently.

Immigration

Main articles: Iranians in Pakistan and Pakistanis in Iran

In the Balochistan region in the southeast of Iran and in the southwest of Pakistan, the Balochi people travel regularly, often without visas, causing considerable problems for the Iranian national guards as well as Pakistan's border security force (Frontier Corps Balochistan). Since 2010, there has been an increase in friendship between the two nations with senior figures from both governments meeting each other as both countries work together to find a regional solution to the Afghan War and progress on talks over a proposed gas pipeline and an ECO. Since 1950s, Pakistan awards 28 scholarships to Iranian students to come and continue their education in the discipline of engineering, medical professions, theology and divinity, and Pharmacy, under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme (PTAP). In addition, many self-finance Iranian students are given admission in various educational institutions of Pakistan, according to Pakistan, the Punjab University, Karachi University and Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, remains among the most popular institutions for the Iranian students. Each and every year, the Iranian media delegations have been visiting Pakistan since 2004, many journalists settled in Pakistan. These visits have play an effective role in promoting mutual understanding and projection of better image of Pakistan in Iran.

Today, many ethnic and social groups in Pakistan trace their ancestry to Iran. Populous figures including Benazir, Murtaza, Sanam, and Shah Navaz were half Kurdish-Iranian from her mother's side. Also, former president and chief of army staff General Yahya Khan traces his ancestry to a soldier who arrived in 1738 with Nader Shah of Persia. Yousaf Raza Gillani (Office: 2008-2012) also has an Iranian ancestry and hails from the Iranian Gilan Province, and is a descendant of Abdul-Qadir Gilani

Historical dynasties

Main article: Persians in the Mughal Empire

Tombs at the Makli hills necropolis, in Thatta, Pakistan. In 1739, following the Battle of Karnal, Thatta was ceded to Nadir Shah of Persia

Prior to 1947, the present day Pakistani territories was under the colonial rule of the British Empire. During the Mughal period, despite Persia being a rival to the Mughals, the influence of Persian culture had a wide impact throughout South Asia due to the Mughals themselves being highly Persianised people. The Mughal Emperor Humayun sought refugee in Persia - however years later the Persian emperor Nader Shah as part of his invasion of Delhi was to pass through what are now the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Tombs at Chaukundi, near Karachi in Pakistan. Many Persian soldiers from Nadir Shah's army are buried here.

This area had frequent interactions with the Persian Empire, today known as Iran and was often directly ruled by Persia. There were trade relations dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Achaemenid annexation of Western Panjab and Sindh during the 5th century BCE solidified this connection in the Indus valley. The Sassanid Empire included parts of Baluchistan. After its collapse, large numbers of the Zoroastrians fled via the Indus Valley to other parts of the South Asia forming today's Parsi community.

Both Iran and north-western parts of Pakistan were also part of the Ghaznavid Empire which was founded by Sabuktigin upon his succession to rule of territories centered around the city of Ghazni from his father-in-law, Alp Tigin, a break-away ex-general of the Samanid sultans. Sabuktigin's son, Shah Mahmoud, expanded the empire in the region that stretched from the Oxus river to the Indus Valley and beyond covering Western Panjab and Kashmir and in the west it reached Rey and Hamadan.

Under the reign of Mas'ud I of Ghazni, the dynasty experienced major territorial losses, losing the western territories to the Seljuqs at the Battle of Dandanaqan resulting in a restriction of its holdings to Balochistan, Western Panjab and modern-day Afghanistan. In 1151, Sultan Bahram Shah lost Ghazni to Ala'uddin Hussain of Ghor and the capital was moved to Lahore until its subsequent capture by the Ghurids in 1186.

In later centuries, conquests by Alexander, Timur and Nadir Shah resulted in both countries being under a single ruler. Persian nobles, most famously Nur Jahan, formed an important part of the nobility during the Mughal era. Pakistan's western province, Balochistan, lies on the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau, tying it directly to the Greater Iranian civilization found in this area. Balochistan is part of the greater Baluchistan region that is split between Pakistan and Iran, as well as southern Afghanistan.

Shalamar Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a Persian garden in Lahore, Pakistan. It is a popular tourist attraction amongst Iranians.

Relations between political executives

The executive governments of each country is represented differently with different form of government institutions. In Iran, the President is head of government while the Supreme Leader is the head of state who outranks executive authority over the President. In Pakistan, the Prime Minister is the head of government only, and his or her "government" or "ministry" directs the executive while the President has no authority over the government, just a ceremonial figurehead.

Relations during the Cold war

Main articles: Cold War (1947–1953) and Cold War (1953–1962)

In a book, The Frontiers of Pakistan, written by Iranian scholar dr. Mujtaba Razvi, noted that, "almost without exception, Pakistan has enjoyed very cordial relations with Iran since its inception on 14 August 1947. Iran was the first country to recognize Pakistan as an independent state, and Shah of Iran was the first Head of State to come on a state visit to Pakistan in March 1950". Since 1947, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Founder of Pakistan, had long advocated for the pro-Iranian policy and was the main architect of the policy that Pakistan was to pursue with regard to Iran, its closest Muslim neighbor. At the various cabinet meetings, Jinnah dwelled at length on the importance of fostering cordial relations with Iran in particular and the Muslim world in general. On several occasion, Jinnah pointed out with great vision that Pakistan could look forward to a genuine and lasting relationship with Iran for which he named Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan as Pakistan's first ambassador to Iran with a directive to forge fraternal ties based on genuine respect to each other. On personal initiatives, Jinnah told him that he was going to a country, which already had the most cordial relations in the world with Pakistan since centuries ago. In 1947 Iran was the first country to recognize the newly-independent state of Pakistan. During this time, the Government of Pakistan regarded Iran as "most important" country in its Western border, since India and Afghanistan being quite hostile, even China was traditionally, at that time, more friendly towards India rather than to Pakistan. In May 1949, Prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan paid his first state visit to Iran; when India lost its territorial continuity with Iran, Pakistan became a defining factor in Iranian relations with India. Despite Shia-Sunni divisions, Islamic identity became an important factor in shaping the Iran-Pakistan relationship, especially after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. In May 1950, a treaty of friendship was signed by the Prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan and Shah of Iran.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto meeting with Iranian Queen Farah Pahlavi, 1972

The treaty of friendship's some of the clauses were geopolitical. Quickly, Pakistan found a natural partner in Iran after the Indian government chose to support Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser who sought to export a pan-Arab ideology that threatened many Arab monarchies, a number of which were favored by the Iranian shah. Harsh V. Pant, a foreign policy writer, noted that Iran was a natural ally and model for Pakistan for other reasons as well. Both had majority Muslim populations but remained secular, centralized, and Western-oriented in practice. Both countries granted the otherMFN status for trade purposes; the shah offered Iranian oil and gas to Pakistan on generous terms, and the Iranian and Pakistani armies cooperated to suppress the rebel movement in Baluchistan. During the Shah's era, Iran moved closer to Pakistan in many fields and the two nations worked closely with each other. Pakistan, Iran and Turkey joined the United States-sponsored Central Treaty Organization defence treaty which extended along the Soviet Union's southern perimeter. Iran played an important role in Indo-Pakistani war in 1965 and its qualified nurses, medical supplies, and a gift of 5,000 tons of petroleum and indicated that it was considering an embargo on oil supplies to India for the duration of the fighting. India blatantly believed Iran that it had supplied oil free of cost to Pakistan. After the suspension of the United States' military aid to Pakistan, Iran was reported to have purchased 90 Sabre Jet Fighters from West Germany and to have sent them to Pakistan.

Earlier in 1955, though Pakistan's membership of Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) no doubt was motivated by its security imperatives against India, as Ziring believed in, was not signed by Pakistan until Iran was satisfied that the British Government was not going to be obstructive on the nationalization of British oil companies in Iran. According to Dr. Mujtaba Razvi, Pakistan probably would never have joined the Baghdad Pact (CENTO), had Iran not decided to join too.

Iran again played a vital role in Pakistan's 1971 conflict with India, this time, Iran helped sheltered Pakistan's military depot and equipments. Iran initially became shocked after hearing the news of surrendering its eastern armed forces to India in 1971. In December 1971, the breakup of Pakistan convinced Iran that its eastern flank should be stable and its territorial integrity should be maintained. With the emergence of Bangladesh as a separate State, the "two nations theory" received a severe blow and questions even arose in Iranian establishment about whether the residual western part of Pakistan could hold together and would remain a single country. The events of December 1971 brought significant perceptional changes in Tehran's ruling elite and among Arab States regarding Pakistan. Iran was affected because Pakistan was an immediate non-Arab Muslim neighbor and both countries had toyed with the idea of a confederation in the 1960s.

When the insurgency spreaded widely in Balochistan Province of Pakistan, petrified Iran who feared the insurgency might spilled over to its Balochistan Province. Iran came to great aid to Pakistan when it provided military support to help Pakistan to tackle its insurgency. The Imperial Iranian Army began providing Pakistan with military hardware and financial support, including many intelligence sources that were fed up to Pakistan. Among Iran's contribution were 30 Huey cobra attack helicopters and $200 million in aid. The Pakistan government declared its belief in covert Indian intervention just like the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. However India claimed that it was fearful of further balkanization of the subcontinent after Bangladesh and stated it had not interfered. After three days of fighting the separatists were running out of ammunition and so withdrew by 1976. The armed Sindhi independence struggle agitated Iran when the Iranian government came to full extend that the Sindhi struggle would virtually leading towards the collapse of the residual Pakistan. Territorially and psychologically broken Pakistan started to pursue new internal and external policies in search of its security.

The people of Pakistan are a very great, monotheist, and justice seeking nation in the eyes of the Iranians....

— President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Cited source

The relationship further strengthened in the 1970s to suppress a rebel movement in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, across provinces of Iranian Baluchestan, Afghan Balochistan. In addition, the Shah of Iran offered considerable development aid to Pakistan including oil and gas on preferential terms. In 1974, a large Iranian delegation and Reza Pahlavi paid a lengthy state visit to Pakistan to attend the Second OIC meeting in Lahore, Punjab Province. Although, Iran's reaction was muted after the surprise nuclear test detonation Smiling Buddha by India in 1974. Iran allegedly helped Pakistan financially to start its own atomic bomb projects as part of its nuclear deterrence. Iran is also suspected of being one of the important investor and financier of Pakistan's successful development of its atomic bomb project in 1970s. In 1976, Iran again played a vital and influential role by facilitating Pakistan with Afghanistan for rapprochement in 1976. In 1977, following a political agitation by the opposition alliance against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a military coup d'état (codename: Fair Play) was initiated to remove Bhutto on 5 July 1977. The new military government, under General Zia-ul-Haq, was ideologically ultraconservative and Islamically oriented in its nature and approach.

Iranian revolution

Main articles: Iranian Revolution, Saur Revolution, and Cold War (1979–1985)

The world renowned philosopher, intellectual thinker, and national poet of Pakistan, Allama Iqbal who gave birth to idea of Pakistan, is widely respected in Iran. One of Iqbal's poem, “Az Zabur-i-Ajam”, was a major source of inspiration and motivation for many young people taking part in the 1979 revolution. Scholars in Tehran University recalled that it was common during the revolution days to see people gathering in a park or corner to listen to someone reciting Iqbal's Persian poetry.

After the Iranian Revolution and overthrow of Shah of Iran, Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini withdrew Iran from CENTO and dissociated itself from the United States. The religious military government of Zia-ul-Haq then provided a rare opportunity and the the political change in Pakistan and the Islamic Revolution in Iran suited well to one another and, therefore, no diplomatic and political cleavage occurred between them. Rather, the two events turned out to be bonus for one another's already existing good relations. In 1979, Pakistan was one of the first countries in the world which recognized the revolutionary regime in Iran. Responding swiftly to this great revolutionary change,Foreign Minister of Pakistan Agha Shahi immediately paid a state visit to Tehran who met the Iranian counterpart Karim Sanjabi on March 10, 1979. Both expressed confidence by stating that Iran and Pakistan were going to march together to a brighter future. The next day, Agha Shahi held talks with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in which developments in the region were discussed. On 11 April 1979, Zia famously declared that: "Khomeini is a symbol of Islamic insurgence". Reciprocating President Zia's sentiments, Imam Khomeini, in his letter, called for Muslim unity. He declared: "Ties with Pakistan are based on Islam." By 1979, Pakistan under President Zia-ul-Haq was close allies again with the United States, and came under its sphere of influence; a position Pakistan has remained in since. Despite close ties under the Shah, Pakistan was among the first countries to recognize the new Iranian government, and attempted to rebuild ties.

Pakistan support for Iran during the Iran–Iraq war

Main article: Pakistan support for Iran during the Iran–Iraq war

In the wake of Iran-Iraq War in 1980s, the Gulf Cooperation Council was formed in 1981 in the Middle East. Most of the military instructors were from the Pakistan Armed Forces, around ~40,000 military personnel of Pakistan Armed Forces were stationed in Saudi Arabia to reinforce the internal and external security of the country. The Iran-Iraq war was a polarize issue in Pakistan, with half of its population was now under threat from the Shia population and from revolutionary Iran. President Zia managed the Pakistan's security efficiently with knowing the fact that, since Pakistan was closer to United States, the country would be dragged in a war against the friendliest neighbor at the behest of the United States. The high-ranking members of Pakistan Armed Forces strongly objected the killing of Shai pilgrims in the Saudi Arabia, Zia did not issue any orders to Pakistan Armed Forces-Arab Contingent Forces, to engage any country militarily.

Despite the United States urging, the Iran-Iraq war provided Zia with an opportunity to deal with Iran. Many stringer missiles shipped for Afghan mujahideen were sold to Iran which proved to be a defining factor for Iran in the Tanker war.

Soviet integration and Afghan civil war

Main articles: Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Afghanistan Civil War

On December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded the fragile Communist Afghanistan to protect the communism cycle in Central Asia. In 1980, the following Iraqi invasion of Iran and subsequent Soviet support for Iraq, improved the Iranian ties with Pakistan. Pakistan coordinated their covert support for the sectarian Pashtun groups while Iran largely supported the Tajik groups, though they all fight as the Afghan mujahideen. Iranian support for Tajik groups miscalculated since they had fewer resources nor did they manage the population to deepen their influence in Afghanistan.

After 1989, the both state's policies in Afghanistan became divergent Pakistan under Benazir Bhutto was explicitly supporting Taliban in Afghanistan. This resulted in a major breach as Iran became closer to India as their policies were convergent. According to Pakistan's foreign service officer, for Pakistan, it is difficult to maintain good relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States and Iran at the same time, since Iran has long history of rivalry with these states. In 1995, Benazir Bhutto paid a lengthy state visit to Iran and greatly relaxed the relations with Iran and at public meeting with Iranian society, she spoke highly of Iran and Iranian society. However in 1996, the Pakistan-backed Pashtun Taliban executed many Iranian residents, including several diplomats. The Shia-Sunni gun battles in Pakistan became even more coordinated and strained relations further. This was followed by the Taliban's succeeded and took over the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998 and massacred thousands of Shias, according to Amnesty International. But, the most serious breach in their relations took place in 1998 after Iran accused Taliban Afghanistan of holding hostage 11 Iranian diplomats, 35 Iranian truck drivers and an Iranian journalist, later killing all them. As a repercussion, Iran responded by massing over 300,000 troops at the Afghan border and threatened to attack the Taliban government, which Iran never recognized. This strained relations with Pakistan, as the Taliban were seen as Pakistan's key allies. In May 1998, Iran criticized Pakistan for its nuclear testing in Chagai region, and hold Pakistan accounted for global "atomic proliferation". However, on early week of June 1998, Iranian Foreign minister paid an immediate state visit to Pakistan to hold discussion on nuclear cooperation matters and aimed for the transfer of the weapon technology. But before the meeting took place, Prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was in the power, directed a secret courier to Israel via Pakistan Ambassador to United Nations Inam-ul-Haq and Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Dr. Maliha Lodhi, in which Pakistan sided with Israel and gave uttermost assurance to Israel that Pakistan will not transfer any aspects of nuclear technology or materials to Iran.

Military and Security

Although, both were part of a Cold War alliance called the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). Iran has always supported Pakistan when it went to war with India, sending over squadrons of airplanes and extra tanks as well as other arms to support it. During the 1965 war, the PAF and Naval fighter jets were often sent to Iran for fueling and other tactical purposes. Iran also supplied Pakistan with American military weaponry and spare parts after America cut off their military aid to Pakistan. During the timeline of the 1971 war, the PAF planes were sent to Iranian bases in Zahedan and Mehrabad for protection since Russian radar jamming and early Airborne warning An-12 blinded PAF fighters. Similarly Iran sheltered its jets at PAF bBases during the Iran-Iraq War. Pakistan became intermediary in several of defense deals of Iran with China and North Korea. After 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, new Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto immediately withdrew Pakistan from CENTO and SEATO after Bhutto thought that the military alliances failed to protect or appropriately assist Pakistan and instead alienated the Soviet Union.

Trade and Economics

Modified image of Iran-Pakistan national gas pipeline.

Relations between Iran and Pakistan improved after the removal of the Taliban in 2002, but regional rivalry continues. Sunni-majority Pakistan sides with fellow Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia in its competition with Shiite majority Iran for influence across the broader Islamic world, although Pakistan is far less ideological than either country, and is more concerned with influence in Central Asia rather than in the Middle East. Iran considers northern and western Afghanistan as its sphere of influence since its population is Persian Dari speaking. Pakistan considers southern and eastern Afghanistan as its sphere of influence since it is Pashto and Baloch speaking like the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistani Baluchistan, respectively. Pakistan expressed concern over India's plan to build a highway linking the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar to Zahidan, since it will reduce Afghanistan's dependence on Pakistan to the benefit of Iran.

Both the countries joined the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), a derivative of Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD), which was established in 1964. The ECO groups neighboring Muslim states recently expanded to Central Asia. As part of this regional organizational framework both countries continue to cooperate on trade and investment.

Free Trade Agreement

In 2005, Iran and Pakistan had conducted US$500 million of trade. The land border at Taftan is the conduit for trade in electricity and oil. Iran is extending its railway network towards Taftan but the gauges are of different sizes, 1435 mm and 1676 mm respectively.

The Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline is currently under discussion. It could be a major development between all three nations. India has been pressured by the US not to go ahead with the deal and appears to have heeded American policy after it signed the US-India nuclear deal. In addition, international sanctions on Iran due to its controversial nuclear program could derail the project altogether. Trade between the two countries has increased by £1.4 billion in 2009. The Iranian governor general says that President Ahmadinejad remains keen to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Tehran has provided 50 million euros for laying of 170 kilometer transmission line for the import of 1000MW of electricity from Iran (2009). Pakistan is already importing 34MW of electricity daily from Iran. The imported electricity is much cheaper than the electricity produced by the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) because Iran subsidizes oil and gas which feed the power plants. Iran has also offered to construct a motorway between Iran and Pakistan connecting the two countries.

Energy

Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline

Main article: Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline

Iran has the world’s second largest gas reserves, after Russia, but has been trying to develop its oil and gas resources for years, due to sanctions by the West. Originally, the project was IPI gas pipeline conceived in the early nineties. However, the project could not take off for different reasons, including the new gas discoveries in Pakistan of Miano, Sawan and Zamzama, Indian concerns on pipeline security and Iranian indecisiveness on different issues, especially prices. The India-Pakistan-Iran (IPI) project was planned in 1995 and after almost 15 years India finally decided to quit the project in 2008 despite severe energy crises in that country. Pakistan is facing severe criticism from the US over any kind of economic deal with Iran. After delaying for years the negotiations over the IPI gas pipeline project, Pakistan and Iran have finally signed the initial agreement in Tehran. The project, termed as the peace pipeline by officials from both the countries, was signed by President Zardari and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. According to the initial design of the project, the 2,700-kilometre (km) long pipeline was to cover around 1,100-km in Iran, 1,000-km in Pakistan and around 600-km in India, and the size of the pipeline was estimated to be 56 inches in diameter. However, as India would not join the project the size of the pipeline was reduced to 42 inches. China is also interested in gas pipeline extended to its territory. Beijing has been pursuing Tehran and Islamabad for its participation in the pipeline project and willing to sign a bilateral agreement with Iran.China and Pakistan are already working on a proposal for laying a trans-Himalayan pipeline to carry Middle Eastern crude oil to western China.

Diplomacy and role in mediation

Since Iran has no diplomatic relations with United States, Iranian interest in the United States is represented by the Pakistan embassy in Washington. Iranian nuclear scientist, Shahram Amiri, thought to have been abducted by CIA from Saudi Arabia, took sanctuary in the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C.Iran claimed the United States has trumped up charges they were involved with the 9/11 attacks.

Civil nuclear agreement

Although Pakistan steadly blocked Iranian acquisitions of nuclear weapons, Pakistan on ther hand, whole-kindheartedly and staunchly supported Iranian viewpoint on the issue of its nuclear programme and maintained that: "Iran has the right to develop its nuclear programme within the ambit of NPT." In 1987, Pakistan and Iran signed a mutual agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with Zia-ul-Haq personally visiting Iran for that purpose. Internationally, Zia calculated that the civil nuclear cooperation with Iran was purely a "civil matter" and maintaining good relations with Tehran. Iran wanted to purchase a fuel-cycle technology from Pakistan, but it was rebuffed by the Government of Pakistan. Zia did not further approve any nuclear deals, but one of the senior scientist secretively handed over the sensitive report on centrifuges in 1987–89. However it was revealed in 2005 that such centrifuges were filled with many technical errors and based on the first commercial power plants technology; the designs were not evidences of active nuclear weapons program.

Non-belligerent policy and official viewpoint

Through a progressive reconciliation and chaotic diplomacy, both countries come closer to each other in last few years. In the changing security environment, Pakistan and Iran boosted their ties by maintaining the warmth in the relationship without taking into account the pressures from international actors.

On Iran's nuclear program and its own relations with Iran, Pakistan adopted a policy of neutrality, and played a subsequent non-belligerent role in easing the tension in the region. Since 2006, Pakistan has been strategically advising Iran on multiple occasions to counter the international pressure on its nuclear program to subsequently work on civil nuclear power, instead of active nuclear weapons program. On international front, Pakistan has been a great advocate for Iranian useage of nuclear energy for economics and civil infrastructure while it steadly stop any Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons, fearing another nuclear armed race with Saudi Arabia.

In a speech at Harvard University in 2010, the Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi justified Iran's nuclear program as peaceful and argued that Iran had "no justification" to pursue nuclear weapons, citing the lack of any immediate threat to Iran, and urged Iran to "embrace overtures" from the United States. Qureshi also observed that Iran had signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and should respect the treaty.

See also

• Iran
• Nuclear program of Iran
• Persian and Urdu
• Pakistan Armed Forces— Iranian Contingent
• List of statistically superlative countries

External links

• Asia Times on Iran-Pakistan relations
• Schoresch Davoodi & Adama Sow: The Political Crisis of Pakistan in 2007 - EPU Research Papers: Issue 08/07, Stadtschlaining 2007 - Research Paper which also describes the relations between Pakistan and Iran
• Pakistan, Iran to boost cooperation in power sector
• Pattanayak, Dr. Satyanarayan : Iran's Relations with Pakistan: A Strategic Analysis - USI Research Book, May 2012 - A well researched book focuses on various facets of the Iran Pakistan relationship in a long term perspective by analyzing them under various Phases.