Iran’s decision to violate the territorial integrity of Pakistan is not only ill-timed, but a poor call at multiple levels. It garnered no military gains but has ended up creating a major and avoidable crisis. Consider.

Just a day before Iran hit an alleged Jaish al-Adl compound in Panjgur, a majority of Pakistanis were half-Iranians. Let me explain. Because of the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, the horizontal escalation by Iran-linked groups — Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon — in support of Hamas and Iran’s position on Palestinian rights had won the hearts of Pakistanis.

Iran squandered that capital overnight.

At a time when the Muslim-majority states, as also other conscientious states in the world and social groups are focused on the atrocity crimes committed by Israel in its genocidal war, everyone supporting Palestinians must close ranks. From that perspective, Iran’s irresponsible act of aggression against Pakistan could not have been a bigger fiasco.

The second aspect is bilateral. Iran and Pakistan have had problems with violent non-state actors in Balochistan/Sistan-Baluchistan for many years. There have been attacks on Iran’s security forces by Sunni groups asking for equal rights and agitating persecution by Iran of its Sunni minority. Pakistan has, in its current iteration, faced a slow-burning terror campaign by Baloch terrorist groups since 2006. These groups cross over from Iran and Southern Afghanistan into Pakistan and perpetrate violence in Balochistan.

Over the years and because of simmering tensions, Pakistan and Iran have developed communication channels and border cooperation mechanisms to deal with the problem. There are existing counterterrorism mechanisms to deal with........

© The Friday Times