CARETAKER Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi, has aptly eulogized the visionary role of one of his cabinet colleague Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani for “managing possibly the fastest de-escalation in the diplomatic history” between Pakistan and Iran. It was surely because of the hectic efforts of the Foreign Office under his leadership and guidance that the otherwise estranged relationship between the two neighbours and brothers is fast returning to normalcy, frustrating designs of enemies of the two countries.
Problems do occur because of mis-reading of the situation and circumstances but the way Pakistan and Iran managed the recent crisis has highlighted the fact that speedy damage control is possible if there is will and the ability to see through the wall. Tension flared up when Tehran said it launched missile attacks on alleged hideouts of militants in Balochistan, prompting Islamabad to withdraw its Ambassador from Iran and announced that it would not allow the Iranian envoy visiting his home country at that time to return to protest at the “blatant breach” of its sovereignty. On January 18, Pakistan launched strikes on terrorists’ hideouts inside Iran in a retaliatory attack successfully targeting hideouts of two terrorist outfits Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) in an intelligence-based operation, code-named — “Marg Bar Sarmachar”. However, the two sides demonstrated maturity as, instead of initiating a series of actions and reactions, they preferred to remain engaged discreetly to prevent recurrence of the situation. As Foreign Affairs ministries of the two countries initiated contacts to defuse the tension, the political and military leadership of both Pakistan and Iran made reconciliatory public statements to create a salutary environment for a positive engagement. Intentions of the two countries to normalize ties also became evident when they kept their border open and routine trade activities as well as movement of people continued without any hiccup. A breakthrough was made when Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and Iran talked over telephone, agreeing to defuse the situation. They agreed that ambassadors of both countries may return to their respective posts by 26 January 2024 while the Iranian Foreign Minister accepted an invitation of his Pakistani counterpart to visit Islamabad on January 29 when, hopefully, sincere and result- oriented talks would be held to sort out irritants. Apart from other things, the two countries should also dilate upon the failure of the existing mechanism for engagement and devise some foolproof arrangement for future to prevent recurrence of events with potential to dent bilateral relations.
