Islamabad's Dual Behavior Towards Tehran; Support in Words, Balancing in Washington's Favor?

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Tehran: In this note, Zahedi raised the question, "How can a country that stands by Tehran in the recent crisis between Iran and the Zionist regime simultaneously celebrate the American General of CENTCOM and consider Trump a nominee for the Peace Prize?", evaluating Pakistan's foreign policy approach not only as a product of Islamic tendencies but also as influenced by geopolitical calculations and security dependencies.

 

The Policy of Balance; Islamabad's Survival Strategy

The author analyzes Pakistan's foreign policy since its inception, considering it to be based on a difficult balance between Islamic identity and external security pressures, and emphasizes: "The heart inclination of the Pakistani people and religious elites is with the Islamic world, especially Iran, but the army, as the main pillar of power, is inevitably dependent on Western support, especially the United States, in order to ensure security against India."

He adds: "Since the Cold War, the military and intelligence dependence of the Pakistani army on the United States has shaped the country's policy-making structure; although Pakistanis have in many cases been able to remain an independent actor in interaction with both Eastern and Western powers, Washington's assistance still plays a decisive role in the stability of the country's security."

 

Corridors, Competition, and Geopolitical Challenges

Dr. Zahedi sees geopolitical competition among regional powers, particularly the confrontation between the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC), as complicating Islamabad’s relations with Iran, the US, China, and India. He emphasizes that projects such as CPEC, which involve cooperation between Pakistan and China and, to some extent, Iran, are in direct conflict with Western-oriented plans aimed at containing the influence of China and independent regional states, including Iran.

At the same time, Islamabad is forced to avoid direct conflict with any of the powers for its political and security survival; a strategy that, although understandable from a national interest perspective, has in practice led to the adoption of ambivalent positions toward cultural and civilizational allies such as Iran.

 

The Army; The main actor with multiple roles

The note continues by stating that although the Pakistani army plays a pivotal role in determining political policy, the role of the government, parliament, and even civil society especially religious figures in the country’s decision-making structure cannot be ignored. Zahedi clarifies: “The Pakistani authorities’ support for Iran is rooted in the religious beliefs of the country’s people, but its scope does not go beyond a certain level – mainly political – and of course it does not go below a certain limit.”

Referring to Pakistan’s close relations with actors such as the United States, China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Central Asian countries, he writes: “A true alignment with Iran requires overcoming historical dependencies on the West; a development that the strategic interests of the United States and its allies in the region prevent from fully realizing.”

 

Pezdikian’s trip to Islamabad; A Test for Realistic Diplomacy

In conclusion, the author considers the upcoming visit of the Iranian President to Pakistan a valuable opportunity to pursue Iran's political, security, and economic demands and puts forward some suggestions:

- Accelerating the determination of the Peace and Energy Pipeline;

- Countering terrorist activities on the borders, including Jaish al-Adl and ISIS Khorasan;

- Establishing impartial cooperation mechanisms with common neighbors such as Afghanistan;

- Expanding economic interactions on the Iran-Pakistan-China axis;

- Strengthening cooperation in regional institutions such as ECO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization;

- Consulting on humanitarian crises in Palestine and Kashmir;

- Supporting oppressed Shiites in tense areas such as Parachinar;

- Strengthening cultural diplomacy and institutions such as the Data Ganj Bakhsh Library in Lahore.

 

Conclusion: Friendship with Strategic Considerations

In Dr. Zahedi’s view, Iran-Pakistan relations can only truly deepen if policymakers in Tehran understand Islamabad’s multi-layered considerations from a strategic and non-emotional perspective. “Without a clear understanding of Pakistan’s balancing act, expecting long-term and unconditional cooperation would be a naive foreign policy,” he warns.

He concludes by expressing hope that the president’s visit to Islamabad the land of Iqbal Lahori will not only be an opportunity to deepen bilateral cooperation, but also provide a prelude to the formation of joint regional strategies in the face of common challenges and interventionist actors.