* Pakistan is the most pro Iran society in the world according to PEW polls.
PEW polls also predicted Erdogan losing the Presidental elections. Erdogan is now President. Referencing a foreign American poll, the polls source country which has done much harm to Pakistan, is not sensible.
* Pakistan is a Sunni majority country which regularly elects Shia PMs and Presidents as well as commanders of Armed Forces.
The guardians of the secular regime in Turkey, the Armed Forces, the high ranking commanders are almost all Shia. Erdogan is cleaning out the Armed Forces. Cos things change.
* We have a 900km long border and centuries old trade relations with Iran going back to the days of the bronze age.
The same applies to Pakistan and India. Is Pakistan going to protect India too.
* Our language Urdu has a lot of Persian blend, so much so that our national anthem is in Farsi.
Urdu has nothing to do with Persians but with Turks. Persian words in Urdu also have nothing to do with Persians but with Turks. Also, Persian would be an extinct language if not for Turks. Pers were speaking Arabic, the supreme language on the planet, till Sultan Mahmud Ghaznevi, a Turk, conquered Pakistan, Afghanistan, Khorasan, Persia and revived the Persian language.
Persian influence: There are 40 million ethnic Turks in Iran alone. No ethnic Pers has ruled Persia for 1350 years since the Sassanids until a coup by Reza Khan in 1921. Reza Khan also known as Reza Shah Pahlavi. So much for Persian influence.
Turkish influence: Pakistan and Bangladesh are Hanafi cos of Turks. Turkish influence in Pakistan is immense and started from the Abbasids to the end of the Babris. Abbasid Turks, Ghaznavis, Seljuks, Mamluks of Delhi, Babris all ruled Pakistan. [Abbasid revolt began with the Turks of Khorasan. Army of Turks ended the Umayyads. Turks established the Abbasids with a Qurayshi Arab as Khalifa. Abbasids are officially Hanafi.]
Pakistan and Bangladesh need to return to their Abbasid, Ghaznavi, Seljuk, Mamluk, Babri glory and heritage cos so far Pakistan and Bangladesh have not been living up to their historic potential as powers in the region or the globe.
* Pakistan's relations with Iran may not be as good as our relations with Sudi Arabia, however they remain strong bilaterally and under ECO regional frame work. When Pakistan was a member of the UNSC, we voted for Iran on the nuclear issue.
Erdogan also saved Iran from the UNSC on the nuclear issue. Erdogan is going to do to Iran (and Saudi Arabia) what he is going to do. Until Iran (and Saudi Arabia) cease terrorism in the region. Cos things change.
SA and Iran are arms and legs for Pakistan. We are not going to pick sides. Our role is to keep SA and Iran from going to war.
The ideology of Iran (and the ideology of Saudi Arabia) have done nothing but immense harm to Pakistan and to our region as a whole.
@black-hawk_101 @SaG E Jillani88 @Paksanity @TankMan