Relations between Pakistan and Iran
Relations between Pakistan and Iran date back to the common prehistoric Indo-Iranian heritage (which connects all of Greater Persia with Pakistan) from 3000-2000 BC and the Indo-Parthian and Indo-Scythian kingdoms of antiquity to the strongly Persianized Islamic empires in South Asia and the Middle East in the 13th to 19th centuries. Today relations between Islamabad and Tehran are based on bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Pakistan and Iran are neighbours, connected by the Balochistan region split between them. There is a long history of contact and mutual influence between the two nations, with segments of Pakistani culture directly descended from Iranian cultures.
During the rule of Shah of Iran, Iran's relations with Pakistan were at its peak. However, after the Iranian Revolution, the relations between both states at times have been extremely strained and cold due to Pakistan's immensely close alliance with Arab countries especially Gulf States. Moreover, Pakistan's geo-political aspirations, sectarian differences as Iran is a Shia state and Pakistan a mixed muslim state, internal and external factors have sorely impacted relations between both countries.
History before 1947
Pre-Aryan civilizations
The history of the Persian-Indo-Aryan relations back to the era of contact between the people of the Indus Valley civilization and the early Elamites. The Indus Valley (Harappan) civilization, which is the oldest historically known civilization in the world, was contemporary with the Proto-Elamite and Elamite civilizations in ancient Iran. The Indus people had trade links with (even northern) Afghanistan, the coastal regions of Iran, and the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. At Susa in the western part of Iran, decorated pottery has been excavated which appears to be similar to those of the Kulli culture in the north-west of the South Asia. Indus seals have also been excavated at Kish, Sura and Ur. The Harappan culture of Pakistan, imported silver, copper, turquoise and lapis lazuli from Persia and Afghanistan, in return for ivory.
Buddhist influence in Pre-Islamic Persia
Buddhism became widespread in Persia within a few hundred years of its emergence in India. The Kushana king Kanishka in Northwest India became a great patron of Buddhist faith. Kanishka patronized the Gandhara school of Greco-Buddhist art, which introduced Greek and Persian elements into Buddhist iconography. Buddhism became the religion of the east Iranian province of Khorasan through the Kushana emperors. The legendary biography of the Buddha in Sanskrit the Buddhacharita composed by Ashvaghosha - was translated into Khotanese, Sogdian and Parthian, followed by Pahlavi, then Arabic and other languages. In Iran, the story of Ibrahim ibn Adham, the prince who abandoned his kingdom to lead a religious life, is modelled on that of the Buddha.
In Central Asia there was a mixture of languages, religions, and cultures, and, as Buddhism interacted with these various traditions, it changed and developed. Shamanism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity, and later Islam co-existed with Buddhism in the Indus Valley. For example, some of the Mahayana bodhisattvas, such as Amitabha, may have been inspired, in part, by Zoroastrianism. There is also evidence of some degree of syncretism between Buddhism and Manichaeism, an Iranian dualistic religion that was founded in the 3rd century CE. Zoroastrianism and Buddhism also came in close contact with regions of Pakistan and many zorastrian temples are still to be found in that country.
Buddhist architecture and imagery probably influenced and was influenced by its Persian counterpart, as Buddhism spread in Persia. The blue of turquoise from Khorasan became the symbol of the 'mind by nature luminous and the spires of Buddhist monasteries were made of turquoise, as blue was the colour of meditation. The shades of blue porcelain created by the Buddhists of China signified the subtle planes of contemplation. This tradition was adopted centuries later by the blue mosques of Persia. The Jandial temple near Taxila was probably Zoroastrian.
Paintings on the walls of the Alchi monastery in Ladakh (northern Kashmir) reproduced in detail Sassanian motifs on textiles. They can be seen in round medallions with mythical animals. The most ancient stringed instrument from Persia a red-sandalwood five-stringed veena has been preserved at the Todaiji monastery in Nara, Japan since the 8th century. It is decorated with a Persian motif in mother-of-pearl inlay and represents a cultural exchange between the Persian and the Buddhist world.
The Tibetan histories of medicine relate that Jivaka, the physician to Lord Buddha was born as the son of King Bimbisara. The legend goes that as a child he once he saw a group of white-clad men and asked his father who they were. The king replied, "They are doctors and they protect people from diseases". He then wished to become a doctor and he asked his father for permission. King Bimbisara sent him to Taxila. These white-clad men were Iranians, who were famous physicians as attested by Sanskrit texts.
Buddhist literature also influenced early Persian compositions. Early Persian poetry created abstract mental forms recalling the grace of Buddhist statues. Up to the 11th century, Persian poetry came from Khorasan, Sogdiana and adjacent areas, which were once steeped in Buddhism. The metaphor of Bot (Buddha) was constant and exclusive in early Persian poetry. The facial type of bot-e-mahruy ("moon-faced statue") was the norm in Persian paintings and poetry. The Parthians are said to have translated Sanskrit texts into Chinese. An Shih-Kao was a Parthian prince who became a Buddhist monk. He came to China in 148 CE and translated 95.
Background
Prior to 1947 the present day Pakistani territories was under the colonial rule of the British Empire. During the Mughal period, despite Persia being a rival to the Mughals, the influence of Persian culture had a wide impact throughout South Asia but moreso on the regions of Pakistan where the Iranian Plateau extended into and many peoples of Iranic descent inhabited. The Mughal Emperor Humayun sought refuge in Persia- however years later the Persian emperor Nader Shah as part of his invasion of South Asia was to pass through what are now the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This area had frequent interactions with the Persian Empire, today known as Iran and was often directly ruled by Persia. There were trade relations dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Achaemenid annexation of the Punjab and Sindh during the 5th century BCE solidified this connection in the Indus valley. The Sassanid Empire included parts of Baluchistan. After its collapse, large numbers of the Zoroastrians fled via the Indus Valley to other parts of the South Asia forming today's Parsi community.
In later centuries, conquests by Alexander, Timur and Nadir Shah resulted in both countries being under a single ruler. Persian nobles, most famously Nur Jahan, formed an important part of the nobility during the Mughal era.
Pakistan's western province, Balochistan, lies on the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau, tying it directly to the Greater Iranian civilization found in this area. Balochistan is part of the greater Baluchistan region that is split between Pakistan and Iran, as well as southern Afghanistan. A significant numbers of Persian speakers can still be found in Pakistan's western provinces.
The key languages of both countries - Persian, Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi, Sindhi, Urdu - are part of the Indo-Iranian and Indo-European languages family tree. Modern day Urdu draws its script and a significant part of its vocabulary from Persian. The national anthem of Pakistan is written in a heavily Persianized dialect of Urdu. A small Parsi community continues to live in Karachi. Pakistan still has an estimated 1.5 to 2 million native speakers of Persian.
As a result of these close geographical, ethnic, linguistic and cultural ties, there are strong common ethno-linguistic and cultural bonds between Iranians and Pakistan.
1947 to 1979
In 1947 Iran was the first country to recognize the newly-independent state of Pakistan.
During the Shah's era, Iran moved closer to Pakistan in many fields and the two nations worked closely with each other. Pakistan, Iran and Turkey joined the United States-sponsored CENTO (Central Treaty Organization) defence treaty which extended along the Soviet Union's southern perimeter.
Their relationship further strengthened in the 1970s to suppress a rebel movement in Balochistan, across provinces of Iranian Baluchestan, Pakistani Baluchistan and Afghan Balochistan. In addition the Shah offered considerable development aid to Pakistan including oil and gas on preferential terms. Iran is also believed to have assisted Pakistan financially in its development of a nuclear program after India's surprise test detonation Smiling Buddha in 1974.
Pakistanis and Iranians frequently visited each other's countries. Considerable business, educational and infrastructure development took place in this period.
Military relations
Both nations were part of a Cold War alliance called the Central Treaty Organization. Iran has actively supported Pakistan when it went to war with India, often sending over squadrons of airplanes and extra tanks as well as other arms to support it. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the prominent Pakistani nuclear scientist, is popular in Iran.
In 1965 war Pakistani fighter jets were often sent to Iran for fueling and other tactical purposes. In the 1971 warPakistani planes were sent to Iranian bases in Zahedan and Mehrabad for protection since Russian radar jamming and early Airborne warning An-12 blinded Pakistani fighters. Similarly Irani sheltered their jets at Pakistani Air Force Bases during the Iran-Iraq War. Pakistan became intermediary in several of defense deals of Iran with China and North Korea.
The Shiite factor
Shia Muslims are a minority in Pakistan and represent approximately 5-20% of the total Muslim population in the country. Pakistan has the second largest Shiite (Shi'a) population after Iran. Pakistani Shia pilgrims visit sites in Qom, Mashad, and other places in Iran, while Pakistani Shiites also host Iranian Shiites in their cities. The Iranian Ayatollahs have played a significant role in Pakistani Shiite culture.
Some prominent and wealthy Shiite families in Pakistan are Iranian in origin. The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was half Iranian from her mother's side, a Kurd by ethnicity. General Yahya Khan is believed to have Iranian ancestry. The Iranian influence continues by the Shi'a leadership of Pakistan through Bhuttos, Zardaris and several bureaucrats. Pakistani Shias are mostly found in major urban centers such as Lahore, Multan, Karachi, Quetta, and else where. Smaller communities are also found in Kohistan, Parachinar and Kohat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Some are found in the city of Gilgit and Skardu as well as in Jhang in southern Punjab.
Since 1979
After the Iranian Revolution, Iran withdrew from CENTO and dissociated itself from US-friendly countries such as Pakistan. Despite close ties under the Shah, Pakistan was among the first countries to recognize the new Iranian government, and attempted to rebuild ties.
In the 1980s both Pakistan and Iran opposed the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan and coordinated their covert support for the Afghan mujahideen.
During the 1990s, their relations were dominated by the Shiite factor, nuclearization, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Iran's material support of Shiite paramilitary organizations in Pakistan.
Pakistan and Iran supported opposite sides in the 1991-2001 Afghan Civil War. Pakistan supported the Pashtun Taliban while Iran supported the Tajik Northern Alliance. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, they executed many Iranian residents, including a diplomat. Shia-Sunni gun battles in Pakistan became even more coordinated, thereby straining relations. The situation worsened to a point that Iran massed 300,000 troops at the Afghan border and threatened to attack Taliban government, which Iran never recognized, if Pakistan did not take measures to protect lives of Iranians in Afghanistan.
In the Balochistan region in the southeast of Iran and in the southwest of Pakistan, the Balochi people travel regularly, often without visa's causing considerable problems for the Iranian national guards as well as Pakistan's border security force.
Trade
Relations between Iran and Pakistan improved after the removal of the Taliban in 2002, but regional rivalry continues. Sunni-majority Pakistan sides with fellow Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia in its competition with Shiite majority Iran for influence across the broader Islamic world, although Pakistan is far less ideological than either country, and is more concerned with influence in Central Asia rather than in the Arab world. Iran considers northern and western Afghanistan as its sphere of influence since its population is Persian Dari speaking. Pakistan considers southern and eastern Afghanistan as its sphere of influence since it is Pashto and Baloch speaking like the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistani Baluchistan, respectively. Pakistan expressed concern over India's plan to build a highway linking the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar to Zahidan, since it will reduce Afghanistan's dependence on Pakistan to the benefit of Iran.
Both the countries joined the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), a derivative of Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD), which was established in 1964. The ECO groups neighboring non-Arab Muslim states. As part of this regional organizational framework both countries continue to cooperate on trade and investment.
In 2005, Iran and Pakistan had conducted US$500 million of trade. The land border at Taftan is the conduit for trade in electricity and oil. Iran is extending its railway network towards Taftan but the gauges are of different sizes, 1435 mm and 1676 mm respectively.
The Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline is currently under discussion. It could be a major development between all three nations. India has been pressured by the US not to go ahead with the deal and appears to have headed American policy after it signed the US-India nuclear deal. In addition international sanctions on Iran due to its controversial nuclear program could derail the project altogether.
Trade between the two countries has increased by £1.4 billion in 2009. The Iranian governor general says that President Ahmadinejad remains keen to strengthen ties between the two countries.
Tehran has provided 50 million euros for laying of 170 kilometer transmission line for the import of 1000MW of electricity from Iran (2009). Pakistan is already importing 34MW of electricity daily from Iran. The imported electricity is much cheaper than the electricity produced by the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) because Iran subsidizes oil and gas which feed the power plants.
Iran has also offered to construct a motorway between Iran and Pakistan connecting the two countries.
Role in mediation
Since Iran has no diplomatic relations with United States, Iranian interest in the United States is represented by the Pakistan embassy in Washington. Iranian nuclear scientist, thought to have been abducted by CIA from Saudi Arabia, took sanctuary in the Pakistan embassy of Washington.
The future and the next chapter will be a defense treaty God willing
