Pakistan - Cross-border attacks

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/

Jaish al Adl or the army of justice is a Pakistan-based Sunni militant group that has been carrying out attacks on Iranian soil since 2013. It is seen as a separatist movement, wishing to liberate the Sunni Baloch in the Iranian province of Sistan-Balochistan that borders Pakistan’s Balochistan. On March 7, eight Iranian border guards were killed in an armed clash with Jaish al Adl militants in the Negur district, who then fled back to Pakistani soil. Three of the militants were killed. The deputy governor of Sistan-Balochistan, Ali Asghar Mirshekari, has asked the Pakistan government to “arrest the terrorists and hand them over to Iran to prevent Pakistan from becoming a parade ground for terrorists”. Tasnim Aslam, the spokeswoman for the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Pakistan and Iran need to “work together on this issue in order to maintain security in the border areas”. This incident is particularly alarming because Saudi Arabia has requested troops from Pakistan to aid the Arab coalition in fighting the Iranian-supported Houthi insurgency in Yemen. Pakistan’s assent to this request could lead to hostility between Pakistan and Iran. The attack took place just two days prior to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s visit to Pakistan, who has been at the forefront of negotiating Iran’s nuclear deal with the west.

It is not enough for Pakistani officials to merely condemn these ongoing attacks. The government has to do a better job of policing the borders and crack down on these militants to prevent any attacks on neighbouring countries. As a leading Iranian lawmaker, Esma’il Kowsari said late last year: “The Pakistani government has practically no control over the border areas, and if they cannot control the common border, they should tell us so that we ourselves can take action.” The fallout from the Mumbai attacks, which were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the mishandling of the Lakhvi case has taken a toll of Pakistan-India relations and the border with Afghanistan has been facing similar issues for years. Continued attacks abroad by militants operating from Pakistan would lead to it becoming even more of an international outcast than it already is, running the risk of restrictions and even sanctions. The Pakistan government should also consider the fact that the US’s impending nuclear deal and subsequent lifting of sanctions could upon the pathways to trade with Iran. Because the government is seeking to boost trade to rehabilitate Pakistan’s flailing economy, it should attempt to sustain friendly working relations with Iran to retain the possibility of future energy, trade and economic deals.