India-Iran-Afghanistan alliance

The strategic alliance seen developing among India, Iran and Afghanistan could prove a threat to the security of Pakistan, eventually leading to this bloc closing in on Pakistan with dreadful consequences in store for the country’ warned a former Pakistan military officer in a seminar. Over the last week, the Pakistani media too has been vociferously protesting that India’s moves were isolating Pakistan.

Expressing concern over the militaristic co-operation among India, Iran and Afghanistan at a seminar on ‘National Security, Deterrence and Regional Stability in South Asia’ organized by a local think tank, former defence secretary, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Asif Yasin Malik said, “The alliance of these three countries has pushed Pakistan into isolation posing at the same time, a threat to Pakistan’s security.”

“Pakistan finds itself faced with this challenge primarily because of its own mistakes but partly also due to the hostile policies of other nations”, he said, adding that the Foreign office was only exhibiting its inefficiency in the current tough times. Lt. Gen. (Retd) Nadeem Lodhi who also spoke at the seminar said that the strategic co-operation shared in the India, Iran, Afghanistan bloc ought to be perceived as dangerous for Pakistan.

He feared that the development of the Chabahar port project that India undertook, was affecting the Gwadar port project in China and recommended that for Pakistan, boosting its strategic ties with China could be the solution to this situation. Moreover, of the three countries that were isolating Pakistan, Iran could be the one to give a thought to Pakistan’s side of the table, although it would be China’s influence that could crack the problematic circumstance.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani media too have been very vehemently voicing their protest that the India, Iran, Afghanistan alliance was closing in on their country although experts feel that Pakistan has none other than itself to blame for its plight. Earlier, India had appealed to Pakistan to allow a trade route linking Afghanistan and thereby also other Central Asian countries. Pakistan responded neither to India nor even to Afghanistan in the matter. As a consequence, India undertook to develop the Chabahar port of Iran pushing Pakistan to isolation. However, it is to its own policies of hate and hostility towards India that Pakistan owes this predicament, says the candid opinion of defence experts.