TERROR VERSUS TERROR.

 

By K P Paswan.

 Iran regularly hurls rocket to Pakistan, but this time Iran sent missiles inside Pakistan destroying a terror out fit and killing a few civilians. But Pakistan does not give real causality.  Pakistan thought that it was  humiliation and retaliated by missiles inside Iran killing at least nine people. So what is common and uncommon. Both are Islamic nations but with different religious ideology. Pakistan is a self-proclaimed theocratic state and the Sunnis Muslims are in majority. Economically Pakistan is an undeclared bankrupt country, searching for a money lender to borrow more and more money. Iran on the other hand is super rich and a country wherein the Shias are in majority. Pakistan is not an oil producing country but Iran is perhaps is a country with the largest deposit of oil and natural gas.

 Both Iran and Pakistan glorify terror but there is difference. Iran has no poisonous Wahhabi religious ideology to export; this country is funding terror groups which are fighting Israel. But what a surprise, The terror outfits like the Hamas and Hizballah are dominated by the Sunnis and these terror outfits are secretly hated by the Sunnis majority Islamic states. Pakistan, on the other hand thrive on terror and in doing so, it itself became victim of terror. Pakistan is funding stateless terrorists to foment troubles in India and these terrorists are giving night marish sleep to Indian security personals.

Pakistan has Nukes. Des it make Pakistan a strong nation? The answer is big no. Some of the conventional weapons are more devastating than Nukes. Before nuclear talks between the US and Iran in Doha last year, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent a message to Biden, the president of the US. The Ayatollah asked the mighty president that a bankrupt and beggar like Pakistan and N Korea have been allowed NUKES but the same is being denied to Iran, why? And the American president still has not responded. In the popular mind, attempts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions also mesh neatly  with the narrative of Western powers holding back Muslims. Why Iran cannot have nukes if Pakistan can?. The rulers of archly Sunni and conservative Saudi Arabia in particular, have long viewed Iran as a dangerous rival. In the 1990s they blamed Iran for stirring unrest among the kingdom’s largest Shia minority and in response helped bankroll Saddam Hussein’s war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the recent Israel Hamas war, some Saudi youths made the mistake of sticking the poster of M Nasrullah, the chief of Hezbollah on their windscreens, Saudi police promptly arrested them

American’s invasion of Iraq produced a cascade of responses that bolstered the resistant front in Iran. The intrusion threatened to drive a wedge between Iran and Saudi Arabia It empowered the long – long  disenfranchised Shia majority , a natural bridgehead for Iranian influence. And obviously removed Saddam Hussain’s army, the main military obstacle to the projection   of that influence  farther afield. Iran, unable to bear the Saudi’s hegemony in the Islamic world funded the Houthi radicals in Yemen to revolt against the Sunni President Mr Hadis and as a result the Sunni president was deposed and the Houthis launched attack upon Saudi Arabia.

Few Muslims elsewhere are aware that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, aside from being supreme leader of the Iranian revolution  and running the administration of the country  also styles himself as  Leader of the Islamic world . But this is not acceptable to the Sunni dominated countries.. It is also clear that  a powerful sector ofv  Iranian opinion is  so fundamentally  anti US that it will never change. Islamic countries may be ble to convince the Biden administration that  the best way to ease the tension between a Shia Iran and a Sunni Pakistan is  that the US  itself to be more flexible

So Pakistan’s possession of Nukes is not in the interest of Pakistan and if tension between Pakistan and Iran escalates, Iran may launch pre—empties strike to destroy the nuclear reactors of Pakistan.

Pakistan as a theocratic state tried to lead the Islamic nations, the same dream is also seen by Turkey and both of these Islamic are not reach. Turkey under Erdogan succeeded in reducing poverty but Pakistan’s mismanagement of economy led economic recession which has become economic recession forever. National administration in Pakistan is being controlled by the army. The army has utterly failed to control the terrorists. While in the case of India, Pak army is succeeding in fomenting troubles in J&K  the {ak army cannot match Iranian resistance. It may be noted that Kul Bhushan Jadhav, an Indian citizen being accused of Indian spy was captured by the Iranians and handed over to Pakistan, But this religious bond is going to be a thing of the past. Iran has refused to bail out Pakistan from economic recession., and is no more an ally of Pakistan. Iran is also encouraging the Baloch separatists to cause anarchy in Pakistan. So everything is not well between Iran and Pakistan

 Iran is an overambitious nation. Despite of being ruled by lunatics and religious fanatics, Iran is a modern and developed nation. Progress made by the late King are also the most inspiring achievement of Iran. Restricted freedom of speech with widespread education among women are achievements, not seen in other Islamic nations. The Arab spring failed to make inroads in Iran. And a super rich Iran is justifying to assert its influence beyond its border.

 Conclusion. It is time for the two countries to sort out their differences. China is the trusted ally of Pakistan while the US indirectly is helping Pakistan, but in case of even a small war, Pakistan will suffer badly, neither China nor the US will go against Iran. Iran is causing troubles in Gaza and in the Red sea and no Islamic country would come to the rescue of a beleaguered and bankrupt Pakistan. For India it is an opportunity to explore the possibility of befriending Iran. India is keeping the Taliban in good humor. In the long run, friendship with Iran is going to play an important in the diplomacy of the subcontinent. Pakistan cannot be a friend of India, the reasons are obvious. China has virtually  forced Pakistan to toe its lines. In the course of time, it is possible that Iran may follow the foreign policy of India.