Bridging the Pak-Iran Misperceptions

By

Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan

At last, Abdolmalek Rigi, the head of Jundollah militant outfit has been arrested by Iranian intelligence agencies from the Eastern Iran on February 23, 2010. His arrest has brought an end to the Iranian accusations that Rigi is hiding somewhere in Pakistan and that Pakistan has been abetting him and his group against Iran. There is a number of differing information available regarding the mode of arrest. However, all reports and information are unanimous on one aspect that his arrest has taken place within Iranian borders, certainly not from the Pakistani soil.

As per reliable resources, Abdolmalek Rigi was travelling from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan, once the plan on which he was travelling was forced to land en route in Iran. After its thorough search and arrest of Rigi the plan was allowed to complete the remaining journey. Iranian officials claim that Rigi was travelling on the Afghan passport and that he was in the US military camp twenty four hours before the arrest. Iranian intelligence officials claim to have photographs of that camp and Rigi. The US however, rejected the accusations.

Abdolmalek Rigi and his militant outfit Jundolah is said to have been involved in over a dozen terrorist attacks inside Iran. The last terrorist act conducted by this group was on October 18, 2009, on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at Pisheen, a town of Sistan-o-Balochustan.   The attack killed over forty people including six senior commanders of IRGC. The people and the Government of Pakistan strongly slammed the attack and shared the grief and sorrow of the Iranian people over the massive loss of innocent lives. While condemning the terrorist attack, the Government of Pakistan assured Iranian Government that no effort would be spared in arresting all those responsible for the attack if they are found on Pakistani soil.

Regretfully, owing to the misperceptions prevailing since 1990s, Iranian leadership and high-level officials pointed fingers at Pakistan, immediately upon the occurrence of the suicide attack. While President Ahmedinijad was guarded in his statement in apportioning the blame of the carnage, the Iranian Foreign Minister without naming the group responsible for the attack said, “They cross into Iran illegally. They are based in Pakistan ---and the hands of those behind the crimes in southeast Iran must be cut”. Sequel to attack, Iranian Interior Minister Mr Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, visited Pakistan. He even demanded Pakistan to handover Rigi to Iran. Pakistan, however, clarified him its stance and assured him that, it would never encourage such type of attacks in the territorial jurisdiction of its traditional friend. He was ensured that Abdolmalak Rigi, the head of militant outfit Jundallah was not in Pakistan. Both countries have inked a number of agreements to strengthen the security on both sides of the Pak-Iran border.

Pakistani Foreign Office also elucidated that, “There are forces which are out to spoil our relations with Iran. But our ties are strong enough to counter these machinations.” While dismissing the charges that Pakistan was being used as a springboard by Jundollah to launch attacks inside Iran, the spokesperson said; “there is no question given the excellent relations between us that Pakistani territory be allowed to be used for terrorist act against Iran.”

Otherwise, a year before, Pakistan has handed over a number of militants including Abdol Hamid Rigi, brother of the head of Jundollah militant outfit, to Iran. Hamid Rigi is waiting for the death penalty by the Iranian Government. This should have been a sufficient evidence of Pakistan’s sincerity towards Iran. Therefore, an Indian type provocative response and later an attempt of hot pursuit indeed hurt the emotions of the People of Pakistan who have a deep love for the people of Iran. Such type of response would weaken the traditional bondage between the two brotherly Muslim neighbours. Thus, providing opportunities to the forces considered the common enemies of both for exploiting the situation in their favour.  

In fact, how could Pakistan support this outfits, knowing that this group was involved in the suicide attack on the former President Pervez Musharraf and former corps commander Karachi.  Besides, the group was also found involved in a number of other terrorist acts in Pakistan. Moreover, Pakistan cannot afford to destabilize its only secure border that runs with Iran. Besides, over the last few years, both countries are desperately working for a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan, through the region falls in the sphere of persistent Jundallah attacks, which may be an attempt to impair the project, which Pakistan can ill afford.

The fact is that Rigi and his organization have its origin in Sistan-o-Balochistan area of Iran. In an online telephonic conversation Abdolmalek  Rigi, the head of the militant organization told Rooz News Agency of Iran that; “he considered himself an Iranian and the Baloch grievances must be settled within the present day Iran”. The organization indeed comprises of locals of the Sistan-o-Balochistan who considered that the Iranian Government in almost all fields has ignored them. Coloured in the Sunni sectarian group, the organization indeed has elements that are professional criminals, patronized by spying network of extra-regional forces, operating for a greater agenda on behest of its masters. Even Rigi himself is not a religious minded person.

It is analyzed that to attract the world attention or in order to gain the favour of the Sunni dominated Muslim states; the group must have adopted the Islamic name and claiming to be the intransigent Sunni Muslim. But indeed, as per the considered view of Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “the bloody actions being committed in some Islamic countries, including Iraq, Pakistan and in some parts of the country (Iran), are aimed at creating division between the Shiites and Sunnis and----those who carry out these terrorist actions are directly or indirectly foreign agents”. There are many reasons to believe the well thought out avowal of the Iranian supreme leader.

In the historical perspective, the geographically contiguous region comprising Pakistani and Iranian Balochistans, is located in a piece of land which has been of utmost significance for the major global powers. Besides being a buffer between two civilizations; the Persian and the Indus, the area has enormous amount of hydrocarbon reserves, uranium ores and huge deposits of the fine quality gold. Besides these, the proximity of the region to the Strait of Hormuz and construction of the deep-sea Gwader port has further enhanced the regional geopolitics for the major powers. Gwader port; the Pakistan’s most significant deep-sea port was constructed with the help of China, is seriously bothering some major powers and India. In order to impede its becoming a regional trade hub, the port has not been allowed to become fully operationalized, by creating law and order situation in the area through the promotion of sub-nationalistic movements.

In the garb of its friendship with Iran, India has been engaged in the region to create instability. Its spying agency-RAW maintains connections with world’s most advance spying networks to carryout terrorist activities in Balochistan and areas all along the Pak-Afghan and Pak-Iran border thus creating instability in the region. Yet another aspect of the regional significance is that the region is fast becoming the hub of hydrocarbons. All overland oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia and the Middle East to China or elsewhere in Asia would be passing through this region, which may not be liked by the collective foes of Pakistan and Iran.

Under such a scenario, there is a requirement that the leadership of Iran and Pakistan should work synergistically to proactively stem the conspiracies being hatched for both. The spontaneous and provoking response from the Iranian leadership was unprecedented and could indirectly serve the very purpose of such conspiracies. These extra regional forces have the stratagem of playing on and widening the suspicions between the religiously and ethnically bounded neighbours.

Unfortunately, no serious efforts have been made by either side as yet to bridge the growing gulf in their bilateral relationship. The urgency of the changed situation demands that, Iran and Pakistan must re-evaluate the emerging scenario, created because of the deep involvement of extra regional powers and especially India. Both countries must realize that whether it is sectarian clash, endorsement of drug baron and gun culture or encouragement of terrorism in both countries; all are merchandise of the foreign involvement in the region through the troubled Afghanistan.  Since the security and stability in Afghanistan is the linchpin in the security of Iran and Pakistan, therefore, both should join hands by wrapping up the misperceptions and devising a joint strategy to meet the ongoing challenges.

In-spite of the unfounded accusations, considering the historical references, the current situation, and the ground realities, there is no way that Pakistan and Iran would continue living in seclusion. More so, their divergences are of insignificant nature hence can be alleviated at bilateral level. Both are the prominent and leading countries of the Islamic world. Their harmony would act as a bridge in bringing the dotted Muslim world together, which is the need of hour. In their bi-lateral relationship, they have to shun their minor differences, created by external forces. Adoption of a joint strategy for the security of common border, trust building, and increase in the volume of bi-lateral trade through economic cooperation would act as the catalyst in bringing them together. Failure to reconcile would provide space to extra regional countries and non-state actors to exploit both countries in the areas of respective weaknesses.

The long and arduous route to defeat organized criminals, armed secessionists, and speculative finger pointing, political and religious extremists along Pak-Iran and Pak-Afghan boarders lies in enhanced cooperation, trust building, respecting each other’s sovereignty and cooperative security measures by both countries. Since Afghanistan is the root cause of all problems, therefore, it has to be incorporated for brining peace in the region. Upon consensus building, between Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, there would be a requirement of active lobbying for the gradual exit of foreign forces from the region and enhanced level of understanding on the long terms.