The Iranian attack on two targets in Balochistan was surprising, because it was made by a country which is supposed to be friendly. However, it also showed that there might be a limit to patience, and Iran feels that Pakistan has not taken enough steps to deal with Baloch separatists. Pakistan has also got a Baloch separatist problem. It is also of concern that the attack was not detected by Pakistan forces sufficiently in advance so that the various channels of communication between the two countries were not explored. Though Pakistan did lodge complaints with the Iranian Foreign Ministry as well as the Iranian charged affaires in Islamabad, Islamabad seems determined to take the attack in its stride, for it condemned the attack on the Rask police headquarters in which 11 were killed, and which was claimed by the Baloch sepratist Jaish-e-Adl, whose bases in Pakistan were attacked, as well as the attack on a rally in Kerman at Islamic Revoltionary Guard’s assassinated Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s commander Maj Gen Qasem Solaimani’s graveside, which killed 100 people. That attack had been on January 3, with responsibility claimed by the Islamic State of Lebanon and Syria.
Iran has been taking strong measures even against allies, for it launched missile strikes on both Erbil in Iraq and Idlib in Syria. In Iraq Iran claimed it attacked an Israeli spy headquarters, though it is friendly to the Iraqi government which in turn invited the coalition forces in Erbil. Iran is allied to the Syrian government, which is also an ally. While it may seem that Iran is striking against opponents, its attack on Mossad must be seen within the It is also necessary to see its own position in the ongoing US-China conflict, in which it is as firmly aligned with China as Iraq is with the USA.
Pakistan is trying to maintain good terms with China as well as the USA, while it is also tied by a common religion and culture, and a long border, to Iran. While the defence of its territory remains essential, it must recognize that Iran’s real target was not Pakistan, but the separatists that Pakistan is also fighting. It appears that better coordination is needed, rather than any sort of conflict. Iran should be reassured rather than offended. There must be some soul-searching too. Matters should not have reached this pass. Pakistan must try and work out if the fault lies with it, and convey to Iran that it too needs to work out why such a mishap occurred.
