The three regional giants, Pakistan, China, and Iran located in three regional zones, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East have a pivotal role to play in trilateral cooperation.
Iran, with its strategic and security sway in the Middle East duo with copious natural resources and ancient historic and cultural ties with the Central Asian States, makes it a superb regional power. China’s economic boost, its Veto Power, global influence, and connectivity inventiveness makes it the next world power. Pakistan the first Islamic Nuclear Power, with its extensive experience of tackling uneven situations, emerging regional hub both in terms of economics and defense, its intimate history of relations, and its geopolitical regional vitality makes it the center for trio cooperation.
The US-Indian pressure of supporting them can easily munch them. Pakistan-China-Iran trio is the sole resistance to the US involvement in South Asia for energizing Indian as one state show.
The trio is geographically, geopolitically, and eco-strategically located amongst three extremely paramount global regions. Their cultural assortment, natural reserves, aqua routes, geography, and conflicts affect global affairs worldwide. The overlapping strategic and security issues of Pak-China-Iran can easily be settled down through their trilateral cooperation.
Pak-China-Iran should work to secure Afghan peace
Afghan issue is the utmost one for all regional and international stakeholders. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the best interest of both, regional states and intruders. Pakistan has suffered a lot due to the turbulent Afghan affair. Chinese and Iranian, security and economic concerns are also tied up in Afghanistan. Pakistan and Iran had earlier not been on the same map for Afghan solution as Pakistan was pro-Taliban and Iran was pro-Northern Alliance.
Read more: Great power rivalry: Should Iran choose China, Pakistan over India, US?
Iran and Pakistan have not seen eye to eye with each other. China has high stakes in Afghanistan as it aspires to connect it to its grand initiative of Belt and Road (BRI). China is desirous of peace and stability in Afghanistan as it is looking for smooth access to the Central Asian States. For China, Afghanistan’s instability and turmoil may spill over Xinjiang from South to Central Asia. Hence the trio has to play their significant role for stable and peaceful Afghanistan oblivious of the past strategies.
Pak-China and Iran to maintain the balance of power in Asia
The US presence in Afghanistan is not in the interest of three of them, and China and Iran have always been opposing external intruders in Afghanistan. The US stay in Afghanistan and its ties with India have disturbed the peace and balance of power in Asia. So, Pak-China and Iran are bound to get ahead on trilateral cooperation for their mutual interests. Pakistan has played its pivotal role for the US-Taliban peace agreement. Pak-Russian military exercises have paved the way for Russian involvement in regional cooperation as Trump’s South Asian policy has flocked the regional countries together.
The trio is geographically, geopolitically, and eco-strategically located amongst three extremely paramount global regions.
India is trying its utmost to instigate terrorist activities in Afghanistan to prolong the USA’s stay in the region for her own vested defensive interests. Trump’s Indian inclination and the announcement of Indian enhanced role in Afghanistan have cautioned Pakistan, China, and Iran about future regional strategy. The second problem is the Indian factor, which always has hegemonic designs. The Indian imperialistic dreams have pushed it in several regional disputes and intense relations with its neighboring states.
The historic and long Indian rivalry with Pak-China is actually the tussle for regional supremacy. India-China disputes are being poked by external factors and the same is the case with the Pak-India Kashmir issue. The US wants to get more than expected advantage out of the possible war between the two rivals Pak-India or China-India. In both terms, the US will be able to weaken China and some latest advancements are the clear indications for China-Iran-Pakistan to move forward collectively to avert the scenario.
Trilateral cooperation: need of the hour
The US is tapping India against Pakistan and China by equipping it with the latest defense technology. The US-Indian ties are threatening CPEC; therefore the trio-cooperation has become a need of the hour. Although Indian-Iran ties are not as much tense compared to Pakistan and China, yet the US might use India and Israel against Iran for her interests. Many of Iran-Indian agreements are still nothing more than paperwork, however, the US compelled India to drop out of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project.
Read more: China sees India as rival, seeks to displace US: State Dept
Pak-China-Iran easily comprehends that the US South Asian policy has always been favoring India, which is threatening their interests and regional balance of power as well as regional peace and security. It is essential for Pak-China-Iran to align themselves with one another to stop the US yolk of influence favoring India and the Indian dreams of sole regional supremacy. The rest of the Asian states are neither economically stalwart nor from a defense point of view.
The US-Indian pressure of supporting them can easily munch them. Pakistan-China-Iran trio is the sole resistance to the US involvement in South Asia for energizing Indian as one state show. India has always been bullying the smaller South Asian states which are now aligning with China on Indian expense. In view of the US-Iran tense relations, Indian will prefer the US instead of Iran, so it is time for Iran to realign itself with Pak and China.
Izhar Hussain is an independent researcher and political analyst based in Karachi. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Global Village Space’s editorial policy.