A recent surgical strike by Iran on militant camps inside Pakistan reignited tensions between the two neighbours, raising concerns about the role of non-state actors in regional stability.
Former Pakistani Senator Farhatullah Babar asserted this during a Saturday webinar hosted by an Islamabad-based geopolitical analyst.
These comments followed heightened tensions between Iran and Pakistan, marked by both countries launching missiles at Baloch militant groups located within each other’s territories.
On Tuesday, Iran targeted Jaish al-Adl, resulting in the tragic death of at least two children.
In retaliation, Pakistan launched attacks on Thursday, claiming the lives of at least nine individuals in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Continuing his discussion on the Pakistan-Iran crisis during the webinar, Babar noted that the Pakistani government has failed to recognize the primary challenges faced by Balochistan.
He argued that this neglect risked pushing disillusioned youth towards militant groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army.
Adding another layer to the complexity, Ambassador Naela Chohan, Pakistan’s former high commissioner to Australia, highlighted the stark religious demographic: while Pakistan’s Balochistan is predominantly Sunni, Iran’s Baloch population is largely Shia.
Zainab Ahmed, an academic dialing in from Lahore, emphasized the political vacuum in both Pakistan and Iran as a key factor behind such attacks.
Dr Khushboo Ejaz, another academic, pointed out the cooling of Tehran-Islamabad relations since the Shah-era and highlighted the underdevelopment and lack of government attention in Baloch habitats in both Pakistan and Iran.
She appreciated India’s act of infrastructure development in and around the Chabahar area in Iran.
Addressing the audience on a Saturday afternoon, Lt General Talat Masood mooted the Pakistan-Iran crisis that emerged earlier in the week, just ahead of elections in his country.
China, Russia, Turkey and the EU have called on both Pakistan and Iran to avoid escalation and show maximum restraint.
In the midst of the Gaza crisis, Iran within a week launched attacks on their targets in Iraq, and Syria other than Pakistan.