Pakistan's relationship with Iran (all aspects)

In the post-Cold War era, Pak-Iran relations have suffered owing to the unruly situation in Afghanistan. The Taliban pheno-menon is related to oviet invasion of Afghanistan in !"#". The $ President %immy Carter approved &a broader 'overt a'tion programme that instru'ted the CIA to provide military weapons and ammunition and support for the Afghan anti-'ommunist resistan'e fighters, who soon be'ame widely known as mu(ahidin or freedom fighters.) *Charles +. Cogan, &Partners in time, the CIA in Afghanistan sin'e !"#"), World Poli'y %ournal -!""./0 In April !"12, the hostage res'ue mission in Iran failed whi'h gave impression of de'lining $ power. In order to 'ounter this impression, the Carter administration &'ontinued to seek a broader se'urity relationship with Pakistan to buttress 'overt CIA 3 I I ties.) *4ennis 5u6, op.'it., p.78.0 9n insisten'e of the $ , the audis were persuaded to 'ontribute finan'ial assistan'e in a way to mat'h the &$ 'ontribution to the plan dollar for dollar.) *:obert ;. +ates, <rom the hadows, p.!=10 The I I and %ama>at-e-Islami provided boarding, lodging and housing fa'ilities for military training to 'ement mu(ahidin groups together. A''ording to <ren'h s'holar 9liver :oy, this had be'ome a (oint plan organi?ed by the audis, the ;uslim brotherhood and the I I with assistan'e from Pakistan>s %ama>at-e-Islami. *9liver :oy, Afghanistan from holly war to 'ivil war.0 9n insisten'e of the $ , the audis were persuaded to 'ontribute finan'ial assistan'e in a way to mat'h the &$ 'ontribution to the plan dollar for dollar.) The %$I set up hundred of madrassas in 5hyber-Pukhtunkhwa and @alo'histan along the Pushtun belt. The young Pakistanis and Afghan refugees were provided free edu'ation, food and lodging along with semi-military training. *Aubna Abid Ali, Post 3 :evolutionary Iran, p.!"!0 The famous deeni madrassa at Akora 5hattak -5P/ 4ar-ul- $loom BaCCania had been founded in !"=#. There are around 7222 Talibs from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asian states. enator ami-ul-BaC is 'hief of this madrassa. +eneral Dia-ul-BaC had asked the 4istri't Dakat Committees to give madrassas money from Dakat funds. A''ording to a survey 'ondu'ted in !""# by the Bome 4epartment of the government of Pun(ab, there were !E" deeni madrassas in :awalpindi. ;ost of these madrassas were serving as hideouts for 'riminals. *The Fews, ;ay 7E, !""#0 The vast ma(ority of Taliban are unnis, who follow the Banfi fiCah. There are about != per 'ent hias in Afghanistan who live in provin'e of @amian. <oreign ;inister of Iran Alaudin @oru(erdi visited @amian in 4e'ember !""8 and held talks with 5arim 5halili to bring Afghan hia fa'tions together. In !""8 when the Taliban 'aptured Berat, the 'ommander Ismail 5han of Berat took shelter in neighbouring Iran. Beart, with Iranian assistan'e, was re-'aptured along with <arah and Fimro?. Tehran established training 'amps in eastern Iran where Persian-speaking Afghans from Berat, <arah and Fimro? were trained to fight the Taliban. -The Fews, <ebruary !, !""E.0 :ussian provided Iran G!2 billion worth of weapons between !"1" and !"".. :ussia had been apprehensive of Pushtun-dominated Tiban.

Iranian tried to establish a broad-based government in Afghanistan to end the hostilities. 9n %anuary 78, !""# at Tehran 'onferen'e, Prof @urhanuddin :abbani, +ulbidin Bikmatyar, 5arim 5halili and representatives of Abdul :ashid 4ostum and Ahmad hah ;asood parti'ipated. Additional e'retary Iftikhar ;urshid from the Pakistan <oreign 9ffi'e also attended. Bowever, Taliban refused to parti'ipate. *The Fews, April !# and !1, !""E0 The $ President %immy Carter approved &a broader 'overt a'tion programme that instru'ted the CIA to provide military weapons and ammunition and support for the Afghan anti-'ommunist resistan'e fighters, who soon be'ame widely known as mu(ahidin or freedom fighters.) 9n August H !""1, the Taliban were involved in indis'riminate killings in ;a?ar-e- harif 'ontrary to Islami' in(un'tions, no one was allowed to bury the dead for at least a week. *;i'hael Win'hester, &Ithni' 'leansing in Afghanistan), Asiaweek, Fovember E, !""10 The Taliban wanted to 'leanse hias from the north. The hia population was given three 'hoi'es, to 'onvert to unni Islam, leave for Iran or die. The pah-e- ahaba party entered Iranian 'onsulate in ;a?ar-e- harif, herded !! Iranian diplomats, intelligen'e offi'ers and (ournalist into the basement and shot them dead. Tehran had 'onta'ted Pakistan government to guarantee the se'urity of their 'onsulate, be'ause the Iranian knew that I I offi'ers had driven into ;a?ar with the Taliban. *Ahmad :ashid, The Taliban, p.#=0 Within three days an intense 'ivil strife ensured in the ;a?ar when Ba?aras resisted being disarmed. The Taliban were massa'red, 782 Pakistanis were killed and 882 'aptured as prisoners. The turning point in Pak-Iran relations 'ame when the head of Iranian 'ultural 'entre was killed in ;ultan in eptember !"".. The relations suffered a serious blow when Tehran started military e6er'ises along the Iran-Afghanistan border. The tension subsided with the intrusion of $F spe'ial representative Aakhdar @rahimi who met ;ullah 9mar in 5andahar on != 9'tober !""1. The Taliban killed hundred of Pakistani hias between !""E and !""". The se'tarian bloodshed undermined Pakistan>s relations with Iran. * our'e, Aubna Abid Ali, Post:evolutionary Iran <oreign Poli'y0