Pezeshkian’s visit to Pakistan ...
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Diplomatic ties unfold at bilateral, regional, and international levels. Security cooperation between Iran and Pakistan must be understood across these dimensions. While both countries raise concerns about each other’s support for militant groups, those frictions have not derailed bilateral relations—evidenced by Pakistani backing during Israeli aggression against Iran.
That said, it is a troubling contradiction. If both nations continue to point fingers at each other for aiding separatist or militant groups, they are doing something that harms both sides. A shared threat—Baloch separatism—exists in the transborder region of Balochistan. If one part of this region breaks away, the other will inevitably face a crisis—because the issue revolves around the idea of a “Greater Balochistan.” Thus, both countries—particularly their military establishments— appear to have made a strategic miscalculation that could backfire if not corrected.
It is surprising that in the highly sensitive case of Balochistan, both nations are backing forces whose victory would necessarily come at the other’s expense. If Baloch separatists succeed in Iran, it would be disastrous for Pakistan—and vice versa. This is a dangerous misjudgment and a strategic blunder that could carry heavy costs.
Regarding Pakistan’s hesitation in completing the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline stems largely from US pressure. Washington has warned Islamabad of sanctions if it proceeded with the project. Despite Pakistan’s warm ties with Washington, it could have followed the path of Turkey or Iraq and moved ahead. However, it has refrained, likely due to lack of US approval. Even though Iran has legal grounds to file a claim against Pakistan for breaching the agreement, the specter of US sanctions continues to hold back progress. Yet economic ties often plateau not from fewer opportunities but from structural mismatch. Iran and Pakistan suffer from a lack of economic complementarity—their economies do not naturally mesh. This gap limits trade potential.
Another issue is the lack of technological depth in bilateral trade. Nations often pursue economic ties to gain access to cutting-edge technologies. Neither Iran nor Pakistan possesses advanced industrial capabilities that would make such collaboration attractive. Thus, both states tend to focus trade relationships elsewhere—where technology transfer is feasible. Still, in sectors like agriculture, complementarities exist and are already being explored. However, given climate change, there is room for reevaluation and new initiatives to strengthen collaboration.
The article first appeared in Persian on IRNA.