Iran-US conflict: Pakistan must maintain balance, say former diplomats

ISLAMABAD: Intellectuals and diplomatic experts are stressing the need to maintain balance by Pakistan in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States while neutrality without taking proper care has no meaning in such a huge clash when a neighbour who is brother in faith and so close to us.

Former foreign minister Senator Sartaj Aziz, former special assistant to prime minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, Pakistan’s former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan who had also served as secretary general of Pakistan, Iran and Turkey’s alliance Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) and Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States Ashraf Jehangir Qazi have warned that Pakistan cannot afford to take any risk in the ongoing clash since it is multi-dimensional. They are of the view that the United States is working hard to bring about change of regime in Iran but China, and Russia will never allow it to happen. Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and some western European countries are supporting the United States for change of regime. In such a game, Pakistan cannot afford to be party in it.

The intellectuals and diplomats while talking to The News/Jang on Tuesday hoped that Iran will keep control over its rage and will not provide opportunity to President Trump and his aides to consign the region to flames. It would be disastrous if Pakistan allows the military use of Gwadar for any country. Pakistan cannot afford to permit Iran or United States to use the port in any exigency.

Syed Tariq Fatemi, who also served as Pak ambassador in the US and Russia, said any attempt on part of Pakistan would be suicidal if it opts to take sides with any of the two in any overt or covert manner. Pakistan has been suffering immensely for such a mistake in Afghanistan. He said the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani on the soil of Iraq is an act of aggression without any international approval and flagrant violation of sovereignty of other countries. It is a punishable offence under the UN charter. Fatemi reminded that on the one end, the most powerful country of the world is hell-bent on damaging Iran while, on the other, the country is under swear sanctions as its oil and gas reservoirs are depleting since it could not get sophisticated and new equipments for drilling and establishing new wells for gas and other petroleum products. Its economy is in a shambles.

Fatemi reminded that the United States had throughout been getting his purpose served through change of regime. He said that in 1979, Banni Sadar was used for change of regime and later on different occasions, Americans had been doing the same with consecutive governments. He predicted that Iran will hit allies of the United States in Europe and Middle East first but avoid straight targeting the United States although they have determined their targets inside the United States since it will be used as an excuse for the United States to hit Iran directly and in a colossal way. He said Israeli Prime Minister Naiten Yahoo would be working on a plan to induce the United States to attack Iran as it served his political interests.

Fatemi said Iran could also target Americans in Afghanistan and peace process in Afghanistan could be off-tracked again. The government must act with extreme caution, otherwise any irresponsible act could trigger civil war.

Former Secretary General of Tehran-based RCO and Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Shamshad Ahmad Khan said Pakistan wouldn’t side with the United States and maintain close interaction with China on regional developments. The United States is a highly unreliable country. Pakistan had been following a considered policy that it wouldn’t take sides in the conflicts between Muslim countries and Arabs. He was of the view that Iran has no complaint about the presence of General Raheel Sharif in Saudi Arabia. “We have already explained to Tehran that our presence in the Kingdom would help in looking after Iran’s interest since we will not allow happening anything wrong about Iran.”

Shamshad said that Americans cannot afford to twist Pakistan’s arms as there are so many things that Pakistan had to do for the US interest which have nothing to do with the conflict between Iran and the US.

He said Americans rightly talk to military in Pakistan because they know it well that in Pakistan, only the military can understand their language and vice versa.

Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the United States Ashraf Jehangir Qazi who also served as UN secretary general’s special representative for Iraq said Pakistan has zero option siding with any country in the conflict of Middle East. He was of the opinion that a country, which is holding a begging bowl, having no good governance, ruined economy, lacking stability, couldn’t play any international role in such a serious situation. He said the United States has committed biggest international crime by killing an Iranian general on the soil of Iraq. Unfortunately, it also killed General Mohandus of Iraq who was equally a popular and powerful general of his army. He reminded that Pakistan is a poor and helpless country. The country which is poor could take stand sometimes but along with helplessness, one cannot take any risk. Qazi reminded that Russia has inflicted worst defeat upon the United States in Syria and now Kremlin will drive out it from Eurasia.

A former foreign minister said requesting anonymity that the United States has demolished all potential adversaries of Israel in the Middle East one after the other including Syria, Iraq and erstwhile Egypt. It was done for the sake of Israel’s protection and prosperity. Now the United States after change of the new administration under President Trump has been trying to demolish Iran by any mean. The former foreign minister said the United States has committed a huge blunder by targeting the Iranian military commander. It has enhanced sympathies for Iran in Iraq.

He said Iran has it proxies in the whole Middle East and it has been developing it since 1979 in the wake of revolution. It has Hizbullah in Lebanon and footprints in Yemen, Bahrain and Iraq. It has the support in some pockets of Saudi Arabia. The minister said it wouldn’t be possible for the United States to stay in the Middle East any further. The US will have to vacate the region and Pakistan cannot afford to side with it.