Reactionary Force

• A decision to set up a joint border "reaction force" was announced during the visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister to Iran, which was a first visit since he came to power.
• The visit was aimed to resolve the issue of attacks on both sides of the frontier, to combat terrorism and to find ways to increase trade and cooperation in energy and other areas.

Background :

• On 13^th February, 2019 around 27 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards in Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan, is a volatile south-eastern Iranian province, were killed in an attack. It has been the scene of frequent attacks on Iran's security forces.
• Iran alleged that a Pakistani suicide bomber, which operates mostly out of bases in Pakistan, carried out the attack, which was claimed by the Sunni jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice).
• In return, the President of Iran asked Pakistan to act decisively against anti-Iranian terrorists. But Pakistan alleged that the gunmen who killed 14 members of Pakistan's security forces in Balochistan last week had training and logistic camps inside Iranian areas bordering Pakistan.
• To resolve this increased tensions over attacks on both sides of the frontier, the Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Iran.
• The relations between the nations have, however, had a bad patch as well due to security issues along the border.
  
  
  
  

  Iran’s geo-political position

  • It highlights that Iran will not allow terrorist activities from their soil.
  • On the trade front, Iran showed its willingness to boost trade and business ties with Pakistan-
  • Iran is ready to meet Pakistan's oil and gas demands and to increase electricity exports to Pakistan ten-fold.
  • To increase cooperation between Chabahar port in southeast Iran and Pakistan's Gwadar port, and that Tehran could facilitate the construction of a railroad connecting Istanbul to Islamabad.
    
    

  Chabahar, only about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Pakistan border and located on the Indian Ocean, is Iran's largest port outside the Gulf and the only one exempt from USA sanctions. That is due mainly to the pivotal role of the port, and a planned railway line, in breaking landlocked Afghanistan's dependence on Pakistan for trade with the world, especially with Pakistan's rival India.

   

  • Iran stressed upon non-interference of any other country in impacting bilateral ties between Iran and Pakistan hinting at the USA. As, USA re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on the Iran as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign against it.

  Pakistan’s geo-political position

  • Pakistan is a close ally of the United States and Saudi Arabia, both of which have ratcheted up pressure on Iran over its alleged meddling in regional affairs.

  The USA’s  geo-political position

  • USA last year pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal signed by Tehran and world powers and re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on the Islamic republic as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign.
  • It adopts policy of isolating Iran by pressuring other countries in the region to implement the sanctions imposed by it. It wants to isolate Iran for meddling in regional affairs.