Pakistan cannot afford a US-Iran conflict but must prepare

https://arab.news/4x4td

Pakistan remains etched in a volatile neighborhood and maintaining a working relationship with its eastern and western neighbors has remained a challenging affair for its decision makers. Notwithstanding the endemic political tensions with its eastern neighbor India, Pakistan’s relationship with its two western neighbors is not ideal equally. Cross border terror attacks from Afghanistan have been on the rise resulting in a deterioration of bilateral ties and the indefinite closure of the border. The relationship with the other western neighbor Iran, has also remained uneasy owing to border security issues. These bilateral tensions reached a high mark when at the start of 2024, both sides launched strikes against militant safe havens across each other’s borders. The relationship has since then stabilized but the recent spike in Iran-US tensions in the wake of nationwide protests in Iran has again created a politically challenging environment for Pakistan.

Before 1979, there existed an atmosphere of trust and inter-personal proximity........

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