Iran again
Once again Pakistan cannot boast friendly relations with any bordering country except China. India’s been a bad-to-worse case since the Modi administration took over. And little good news, if any, has come from Afghanistan in years, if not decades. Relations with Iran have largely been cordial, of course, but there has been a visible decline in the last few years. Now, with their top general threatening a cross-border, anti-terrorist raid, the matter needs urgent de-escalation for the benefit of both countries.
It is still not clear what made the Iranians change their minds so sharply. Only days earlier their foreign minister, no less, had come to Pakistan and helped restore security and diplomatic engagement, especially regarding border management. Pakistan has rightly rejected the threat, but the exchange does amplify the need for Pakistan to secure its side of the border. The Iranians have repeated protested killing of its border patrols by pro-al Qaeda militias based on the Pakistani side. So far, Pakistan has not taken the kind of stern notice on the Iranian border that it has on others.
It is crucial for Pakistan and Iran to work together. Whenever terrorist attacks trigger diplomatic hostility, the enemy scores more than just a body count. The two countries, owing to a whole host of factors, have also not nearly realised their potential for mutually beneficial commerce among other things. The sooner both sort out their differences and identify their common path forward, the better. Islamabad should take the first step if it has to.