Iran-Israel Tension: Catalyst for Pakistan’s Diplomatic Triumph During Raisins Visit
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi will arrive in Islamabad on April 22 for a three-day official visit to Pakistan. During this visit, he is expected to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Army Chief General Asim Munir.
The Iranian president is visiting Pakistan at a time when the Iran-Israel conflict is at its peak, and earlier this year, the relationship between Pakistan and Iran had soured when the two neighboring countries’ Attacks on the territory of others were declared as operations against alleged terrorists.
This visit is of particular importance in the context of the Iran-Israel conflict as well as the current political and economic conditions of Pakistan. It should be noted that in January this year, Iran carried out a drone attack in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, claiming that it had targeted the extremist group ‘Jaish-ul-Adl’ there.
Responding to this attack, Pakistan took action in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province and claimed that it had targeted terrorist hideouts there. On the Iranian president’s recent visit, the embassy in Pakistan said that President Ibrahim Raisi’s agenda is to ‘prioritize bilateral relations’ between the two countries.
It should be noted that a covert war between Iran and Israel has been going on for a long time. Still, its intensity increased in recent days when, on April 1, a missile attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, the capital of Syria, killed the Quds of the Revolutionary Guards. 13 people, including seven members of the forces, were dead.
Israel has yet to acknowledge accountability for the assault formally, but it is widely believed that Israel was behind the attack. Iran responded by attacking Israel on April 13 with missiles and drones. Other powerful countries, including the United States, Great Britain, France, and Canada, were attacked by Iran and issued statements of condemnation.
The threat of war between Iran and Israel appeared to be rising again on April 19 when US officials confirmed another Israeli attack in the Iranian region of Isfahan. On the other hand, Iranian authorities have denied any such Israeli attack in their country. In such a situation, the visit of the Iranian president to Islamabad has assumed particular importance because, after the beginning of the ongoing tension with Israel, Ibrahim Raisi has chosen Pakistan for his first foreign visit.
In such a situation, the question arises: How will powerful Western countries see the Iranian president’s visit to Pakistan now? But before that, it is essential to know what position Pakistan has taken on the tension between Iran and Israel. Analysts who have a close eye on the affairs of South Asia, including the Western world and the Middle East, call the visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi very important.
The beginning of tension with Israel, no country has openly supported Iran. In such a situation, Iran’s effort will be to give the impression to the world that its relations with Pakistan are excellent.
Dr. Kamran Bukhari says that Israel reacted minimally to Iran’s attacks because it was under pressure from the United States. At the moment, the backchannel talks between Iran and the United States are ongoing. Many issues in Pakistan’s and Iran’s relations, including gas pipelines and security, will be discussed during President Ibrahim Raisi’s visit to Pakistan.
