It was a tense Saturday in Tehran, with the war rhetoric continuing for some days but as soon as the city seemed to settle into its rhythm Air Strikes rattled the city, and half of Iran’s trop brass had been eliminated and The other half shell-shocked. Among the casualties were Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The Minister of Defence Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzedah, The Chief of General Staff Major General Abdul Rahim Mousavi, and Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC Brigadier General Muhammad Pakpour among others. Soon it was learned that the Operation code-named “Epic Fury” was conducted jointly by The United States and Israel. But to Understand the Reason behind the Strikes we must go back in time to 1979 when the Iranian Revolution overthrew the Pro-West Shah to install an Islamic-theocratic Regime which was adamantly opposed to American Influence in The Middle-East and The state of Israel, meanwhile The U.S imposed numerous sanctions on the pretext of Iran being very close to obtaining nuclear weapons, the Americans were supported in their actions by the Israelis who’s primary rival in the region was Iran. Since then standoff’s were regular but never have they been so severe as seen in Trump’s second Administration. And so since the last 47 years the American and Israeli Juggernauts and Iran’s Axis of Resistance have been locked in Standoff. However quite recently there has been a new and unprecedented inclusion into the Cast. Riding of the success in the 4 day standoff against India, Pakistan has propelled itself into the forefront of Global Politics and soon found it self on warm ties with the US after more than a decade . And with a war playing out in Pakistan’s neighborhood, we are all set to play Peacemaker leveraging the strong ties with nations across the globe to curb the crippling energy crises caused by Iran’s closure of the Strait Of Hormuz. Islamabad has not yet crossed the finish line, which is to end the war altogether, however, our achievement in securing a temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran and bringing the two belligerents together for their first high level direct talks since 1979 should not be overlooked.
Moreover, Pakistan also stands to benefit from Playing peace maker, with the country’s heavy reliance on energy imports as nearly 85% of its oil needs and approximately 99% of all its LNG come from the Gulf Countries whose access to the world is cut of by the closure of Hormuz. Securing Peace between Tehran and Washington ensure a quick end to the energy crises for Islamabad and the World at large. Not only that but it also dismisses the notion that Pakistan is just a regional player, increasing the country’s global reach and geopolitical clout and cements the countries reputation as a reliable, and trustworthy mediator a role which had played in the past, for more than half a century bridging the gap between regional and global powers. Another Benefit that may arise is that Pakistan may start to earn the right to a safer trade corridor, labour protection understandings for Pakistani workers in the Gulf and trade facilitation from various nations and a sign of goodwill and gratitude which would help further strengthen the economy.
However, it is important to realize that it playing peacemaker has it’s fair share of drawbacks and complications as well. Apart from having a very steep path to achieving peace in within a small window, it can often lead to entanglement in events across the globe which may adversely effect our own country, Something to which history itself has been witness, especially in the case of Pakistan the results have been catastrophic. In the 1970s Pakistan’s pragmatic approach to bridge the distance between the U.S and China led to no long term appreciation and later on an alienated USSR turned to India and the Indians with the cold war’s giant trained the guerrilla forces that would hand over the loss of Pakistan’s eastern half with help of The Indian Army. That had an immediate and long term impact on our country and We as Pakistanis learned that no diplomatic venture should adversely impact Pakistan’s Sovereignty.
As A Country located in a Volatile Region we are uniquely positioned between South Asia, Western Asia and the Arabian Sea, making it a connector between several regions. This does not mean Pakistan automatically qualifies as a mediator but means Pakistan has credibility and a reputation of being a mediator. While Important we can not impose terms on either Tehran or Washington but simply help mediate talks and convey terms.
BY ARHAM RIZWAN
The writer is currently doing his O’levels and can be reached at ch.arhamrizwan@gmail.com
