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Former diplomat Abdul Basit urges both nations to find a diplomatic solution, former foreign secretary says Pakistan acted “responsibly”.<\/p>\n
International politics and diplomacy experts on Thursday weighed in after Pakistan struck<\/a> terrorist hideouts in Iran\u2019s Siestan-o-Baluchistan province, less than 48 hours after Iran violated<\/a> its airspace.<\/p>\n According to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO), Pakistan undertook a series of \u201chighly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes\u201d this morning and killed a number of terrorists during the intelligence-based operation codenamed \u2018Marg Bar Sarmachar\u2019.<\/p>\n The strikes came after Iran had laun\u00adched attacks<\/a> in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan, prompting strong condemnation from Islamabad, which then proceeded to downgrade its diplomatic ties with the neighbours.<\/p>\n Former foreign secretary of Pakistan, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, told Geo News<\/em> that Pakistan acted \u201cresponsibly\u201d and \u201chas proved with this response that we don\u2019t want to do it but we can do it\u201d.<\/p>\n He said that a \u201cfriendly\u201d country does not attack their friends but long-term thinking is required. He urged the highest authorities in Pakistan and the Iranian government to \u201ctalk\u201d and \u201csettle this through bilateral communications and China\u2019s help\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIran\u2019s government has good relations with Pakistan so we should talk to them,\u201d he expressed.<\/p>\n \u201c[Pakistan\u2019s] border situation is not okay with India and Afghanistan so I don\u2019t think they [Pakistan] would want to open up [a conflict on] another border,\u201d the former diplomat stated.<\/p>\n Pakistan\u2019s former high commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, also highlighted the need to find a diplomatic solution, saying Pakistan cannot include Iran in the same \u201ccategory\u201d as India.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have partnered with them (Iran) a lot over our past,\u201d he told Geo News<\/em>. \u201cPakistan and Iran have collaborated many times before. We should move towards de-escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari described Pakistan\u2019s response as \u201cswift and proportionate\u201d.<\/p>\n However, she asked, \u201cwhy both supposedly friendly \u201cbrotherly\u201d Muslim countries, with deep historical and social ties, allowed space for creation of these militant groups in each other\u2019s territories?\u201d<\/p>\n Former defence minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan\u2019s \u201cmeasured\u201d response will \u201ccause anxiety\u201d in Tehran as \u201cPakistan has crossed a line by hitting inside Iranian territory, a threshold that even the US and Israel have been careful to not breach\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cA measured response has been given and it was important,\u201d he told Geo News<\/em>. \u201cThere should be ongoing efforts on the side that this doesn\u2019t escalate.<\/p>\n Senior journalist Talat Hussain said that Iran \u2014 after Pakistan\u2019s response \u2014 has a \u201cwindow to exit the self-created crisis\u201d since \u201cscores are settled\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n Political analyst Mosharraf Zaidi warned of a \u201cvery dangerous and unpredictable situation\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years, Iran has actively curated terrorists that target Pakistan \u2014 worst of all, Iran works with India to undermine Pakistani security. On the surface, Pakistan\u2019s targeting of these groups is perfectly defensible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIran wants a fight \u2014 wherever it can get one \u2014 because a revolutionary regime cannot survive without fighting for its grand vision. That\u2019s how it mobilises people aligned with its vision: a perpetual state of war,\u201d Zaidi added.<\/p>\n On the other hand, \u201cPakistan is an anchor of regional and global stability and a model of strategic restraint. Pakistan\u2019s stakes require the absence of war,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is no accident that Pakistan\u2019s negative economic trajectory is aligned chronologically with the regional instability it endures.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Kugelman, a scholar of South Asian affairs at the Wilson Center in Washington, said that \u201cPakistan\u2019s retaliation appears to have been proportionate to Iran\u2019s earlier strike, and notably it targeted only militants and not Iranian security forces.<\/p>\n \u201cWith both sides even, so to speak, this provides an opening for de-escalation, if cooler heads prevail,\u201d before adding, \u201cBut that\u2019s a big if.\u201d<\/p>\n He also stated<\/a>, \u201cWith Pakistan now having retaliated militarily against Iran, now is the time for third-party mediation to ensure that a sudden but increasingly dangerous crisis doesn\u2019t spiral out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n Anchorperson Kamran Khan said that Pakistan gave a \u201cloud and clear\u201d message to Iran but hinted that the development could endanger the general elections scheduled for Feb 8.<\/p>\n He stated<\/a> a day before Iran\u2019s \u201csudden, intense border escalation is set to compel the government to delay the February elections\u201d in Pakistan.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a mounting realisation that, following yesterday\u2019s unwarranted Iranian assault, the tens of thousands of troops necessary for securing the February 8 elections may no longer be available.\u201d<\/p>\n Dawn<\/em> correspondent Baqir Sajjad Syed, also a fellow at The Wilson Centre, said that \u201cthe recent escalation between Iran and Pakistan seems to be a timely diversion for some, providing a temporary reprieve from public scrutiny\u201d.<\/p>\nSettle through \u2018diplomacy, bilateral communications\u2019<\/h2>\n
Pakistan\u2019s response \u2018swift and proportionate\u2019: Mazari<\/h2>\n
\u2018Iran given the window to exit self-created crisis\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Now\u2019s the time for third-party mediation\u2019: Kugelman<\/h2>\n
Border escalation could affect security needed for elections: Kamran Khan<\/h2>\n
Sherry Rehman urges both sides to \u2018not fan the flames\u2019<\/h2>\n