Iran and Pakistan Relations: From Economic Cooperation to Security Considerations

Iranian and Pakistani officials signed six cooperation documents in economic, diplomatic, and medical fields on Friday, April 6, following a meeting between the presidents of the two countries at the Prime Minister's Office in Pakistan. According to the state news agency IRNA, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attended a dinner hosted by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after signing these documents. Mr. Rouhani met with the Prime Minister in the evening and discussed 'economic, regional, and international cooperation.' Following this meeting, documents for five-year strategic business plans, cooperation between the chambers of commerce of the two countries, collaboration between Iran's Central Insurance and Pakistan's Securities Commission, and mutual cooperation in medical fields were signed by officials from both countries. In a joint press conference after discussions with Hassan Rouhani, the Prime Minister of Pakistan stated, 'To increase trade and economic activities between Iran and Pakistan and to facilitate the level of communication between the peoples of the two countries, it has been decided to establish two border crossing points at the common borders of Iran and Pakistan. These two border points can significantly reduce the time for communication between the two countries and greatly assist economic activities in this region.' He added, 'The establishment of new border crossings can also greatly help the peoples of the two countries in terms of tourism.' Hassan Rouhani, in the same press conference, emphasized the importance of border security, stating, 'Undoubtedly, Pakistan's security is our security, and our security is Pakistan's security, and we must strive more than ever for the security of Iran's eastern borders and Pakistan's western borders.' Talat Masood, a retired general of the Pakistani army and a political and security analyst residing in the country, spoke to Radio Farda about Pakistan's potential to assist Iran in various fields, from mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia to cooperating to overcome security issues along their shared borders, saying, 'Pakistan is very interested in cooperating with Iran in security matters. So far, due to a lack of cooperation, we have witnessed the emergence of armed sectarian groups and an increase in the activities of traffickers in Balochistan and other shared borders of the two countries. We need extensive cooperation at the borders. With proper border management and the exchange of security information, which depends on mutual trust, many problems can be overcome. Over the past few years, Iran and Pakistan have not been able to get as close to each other as expected due to sanctions, while the security issues of both countries are intertwined.' In recent years, Iranian military and security officials have criticized Islamabad for what they call 'negligence' in securing the shared borders. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, during his visit to Tehran on January 29 and meeting with the Iranian President, spoke of his country's 'determination' to cooperate with Iran in countering the Jaish al-Adl group, an armed group opposing the Islamic Republic. Other cooperation documents were signed between the Political Studies Office of the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations, as well as cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry and the School of International Relations of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The Iranian President arrived in Pakistan at the head of a high-ranking economic and political delegation for a two-day visit and was welcomed by Nawaz Sharif upon arrival at Islamabad Airport. Mr. Rouhani's visit to Pakistan is the first official visit by an Iranian President to Pakistan in the past 14 years.