There are currently two battle theatres in West Asia which threaten peace in the region and can turn into a larger conflict if not contained. The first theatre is being Gaza where Hamas’ October 7 attacks led to the war between Israel and Hamas and the second theatre is the Pakistan-Iran where both sides are blaming each other for the other side’s failure to check the growth of separatist militants on each other’s soil.
Iran struck Pakistan earlier this week for failing to contain Sunni terrorist group Jaish-al Adl, claiming it is carrying out anti-Iranian activities from Pakistani soil and Pakistan replied back by launching an intelligence-based operation code-named ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’ where it claims to have killed a few terrorists when Pakistan Air Force struck Baloch separatist camps inside Iran.
Iran is under huge pressure as both US and Israel are ready to take on the West Asian nation for its role in the Hamas attacks and its active support for the Palestinian outfit. The US is angered with Iran for its support to the Yemen’s Houthis and the Lebanon’s Hezbollah, while Israel has warned if outside support continues for Hezbollah it will not hesitate to take the war to Lebanon.
The Kerman blasts concerned Iran and after the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed to have carried out the attacks, Tehran struck zones in north Syria in a bid to wipe out ISIS bases. Iran also struck Iraq’s Erbil claiming that the Kurd-populated region was housing the regional headquarters of Mossad.
The third attack was on Pakistan, in areas that were used by Jaish-al-Adl. The attack startled Pakistan and before the elections it forced the Pakistan Army to launch an attack because it did not want to look weak in front the electorate.
How It Impacts India
The Houthi attacks on global shipping and the war in Gaza have brought both economic and political concerns for many countries including India.
The Houthi attacks on shipping containers is affecting global trade and shipping and will soon affect many nations and force nations like the US and the UK and partners of the Guardian Prosperity coalition to intensify their engagement with Yemen and in turn with Iran.
India has kept channels of communication open and is speaking to leadership in Israel and Palestine, as India’s permanent representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said earlier this month. India has also sent humanitarian aid for the Palestinian civilians caught in the war.
A report by the Hindustan Times said that Tehran told Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar during his visit to Iran that it exercises no to very less control over Houthis.
The report highlighted that it will become a bit clearer why Tehran decided to strike locations inside Pakistan when the Iranian national security advisor visits India either this month or early February.
Jaish-al-Adl’s attacks on Iran also go on to show that India was right in highlighting to the global community about how Pakistan is a safe haven for terrorism for decades and it not only impacts India but also other nations in the region.
This may help the global community to shift its focus back to Pakistan and terror networks that have made the country its home. Global regulatory agencies could push Pakistan to act more harshly on terror financing which hopefully will deter the bad actors from funding terrorism in the region.
American and security officials from western European nation like France and the UK, however, have told media outlets based there that Iranians are backing Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and several other regional outfits who together form the so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’.
India also initiated conversations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE along with Iran. It has also discussed regional developments with Russia when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.
India’s engagement with West Asian powers, Russia, Israel and the US and Europe shows that it is in a position to convey to these leaders that peace can be given a chance in the region and stop the conflict from widening.
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