We have a declared enemy in India on one side of the border – a notorious Afghanistan on the other. We have a friends to our North in China and Iran to our South-West. I have failed to understand why, ever since the present government has assumed control, the government has literally snubbed the Chinese a few times and irritated Iran on multiple counts while trying its best to butter-up Afghanistan and India to become ‘friends’ of Pakistan!

I could not find time to write on several issues that have bothered me – transit trade via Pakistan to Afghanistan being one of them. I could not find time to write how bad I felt when our leaders spent thousands of dollars in an Indian night club in the United States when millions sit homeless in the land of the pure!

This is an issue I want to write about. This is a question my mind is putting up again and again. Are we now headed into complete regional isolation amidst talk of Iran closing the Pak-Iran border?

How will this effect our long standing friendship with Iran? We have already frustrated China enough. We have not done anything to control and punish the Jundullah who have wrecked havoc inside Iran and inside Baluchistan.

A little news analysis will let us know of what exactly has been happening since the blast that rocked a mosque in Zahedan, Iran:

Iran hangs three over mosque bombing

TEHRAN: Iran on Saturday hanged three men in public accused of involvement in the bombing of a Shia mosque that killed 25 people, an official said, branding them ‘terrorists’ and ‘enemies of God.’

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/06-iran-hangs-three-over-mosque-bombing-rs-02

Iran took immediate corrective steps to put things in order. The Pakistani Ambassador in Tehran was summonned by the Iranian Foreign Office and this is what followed:

Iran shuts border at Taftan

QUETTA, May 31: Iran has closed its border with Pakistan at Taftan and informed the Pakistani government about its decision.

A Pakistani official confirmed on Sunday that the Iranian authorities had closed the border.

Iran had closed the border partially on Thursday after a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Zahedan, but ordered complete closure on Saturday.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/iran-shuts-border-at-taftan-169

Pakistan gave in to what was apparently an Iranian request and handed over some arrested militants to Iran, continuing their cooperation against ‘insecurity’, as the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called it:

Cooperation against insecurity: Pakistan has extradited suspects to Iran: Mottaki

TEHRAN, June 1: Iran said on Monday that a shadowy rebel group reportedly behind a deadly mosque bombing last week had ties with foreign forces based in Afghanistan.

“We consider (Abdolmalek) Rigi’s network linked with some foreign forces in Afghanistan,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters in response to a question about Thursday’s attack on a mosque which killed 25 people in Zahedan.

He said Iran had “obtained evidence” proving its allegation.

The suicide bombing was reportedly claimed by the Jundullah group headed by Mr Rigi.

The minister said Pakistan and Iran had joined forces “in combating insecurity” since President Asif Ali Zardari took over last year.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/cooperation-against-insecurity-pakistan-has-extradited-suspects-to-iran-mottaki-269

While this (the handing over of suspected militants) seems to be a good sign for Pakistan-Iran relations, the closure of borders (whether temporary/partial or permenant/absolute) should have sent shivers through the Pakistani Foreign Office and should ideally have served as a wake-up call to put things right before Pakistan slips into absolute regional isolation.

Iran, on the other hand, has explictly blamed the United States for its support to the militant group – Jundullah – calling it a part of US ‘terrorism’:

Iran decries US support for ‘terrorism’

Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi has warned the US against providing financial support for terrorist groups that operate against Iran.

“There are many documents and pieces of evidence confirming that terrorist groups are recognized by the arrogant powers and the United States in particular and are financially supported,” Shahroudi said in a meeting with the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran, Mohammad Abbasi, on Monday.

“It is a big mistake to think that the US seeks to stop the activities of terrorist groups because it still provides all-out support to terrorists,” he continued.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=96764&sectionid=351020101

‘Jundullah linked to foreign forces in Afghanistan

Iran’s Foreign Minister says Jundullah, which has claimed a mosque bombing in Zahedan, has ties with foreign forces based in neighboring Afghanistan.

“We believe Rigi’s terror network is linked with some foreign forces in Afghanistan,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters on Monday.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=96712&sectionid=351020101

We, in Pakistan, need to re-think our policies and should shun our non-serious attitude towards religious fanatics being funded and supported by the CIA and the Indian RAW.

The army is on the offensive and has met immense success in a very short period of time. This is the right time to nip them in the bud. This is the right to expose American-Indian designs and vested interests in Pakistan and let the world know that the core of our problems is not religious extremism in the general public – it is the United States of America and the Indian ‘democracy’.

It is high time to act before, like I mentioned earlier, we slip into absolute regional isolation.