Farhan Bokhari: Iran, Pakistan can spur Mideast talks

A fresh pledge by Pakistan and Iran at the end of talks between senior officials in Islamabad to crack down on smugglers crossing their partially marked border, illustrates the continuing need for mutual cooperation between south west Asia's two key states.

The 500-mile Pakistan-Iran border has often been the scene of large seizures of drug shipments meant for destinations in the western world.

But in the process, a sizeable volume of heroin primarily manufactured in Afghanistan ends up in the hands of consumers across the two countries, before smugglers continue their onward journeys.

The latest discussions have also concluded with a fresh understanding for preparatory work to demarcate the border in the first step for the future construction of border posts on both sides. These discussions are now expected to be carried forward during the next round of talks between senior officials in Tehran.

Although the process of preparation for cracking down on drug traffickers or, indeed, clearly defining the border may well be seen by many as a small blip in Pakistan-Iranian relations.

The two countries have gone through periods of underlying frictions, mainly driven by the killings of Iranians in Pakistan in the 90s, ostensibly by members of hardline groups opposed to Tehran. Pakistan's subsequent failure to quickly prosecute those accused in such cases apparently triggered frustration followed by anger in the Iranian capital.

But events of the past 18 months since the United States began its so-called war on terror and launched two wars against Afghanistan and Iraq – both Islamic countries – have only reinforced the need for enlarging cooperation between neighbouring Islamic states.

Iran and Pakistan, though victims of tensions in recent years, have a long history of previously cordial ties.

In the early 70s, Pakistan's success in curbing a powerful separatist insurgency in its province of Baluchistan bordering Iran would not have been possible without the active support of the Iranian military in ways such as sending helicopters to assist the Pakistani military in its combat operations.

However, the future of Pakistan-Iran relations now depends on the extent to which the two countries can move forward to establish cooperative ventures in four key areas: First, the determination to jointly intensify the war on drugs presents prospects for further expansion.

In addition to more forceful border policing, Pakistan and Iran have ample opportunity to expand their cooperation in ways such as jointly training experts involved with drug rehabilitation centres and routine exchange of experts across the board dealing with this area.

For instance, periodic joint courses involving school teachers from both sides, conducted in English, Urdu and Persian languages can help to establish the basis for taking the anti-drug effort to educational institutions. There are also opportunities to actively involve other sections of society such as the media to join the anti-drug effort, driven by government-to-government cooperative ventures.

Global experience in the fight against drugs has demonstrated time and again that a campaign driven only by enforcement efforts is bound to fail in a world where preventing new entrants to the world of drugs could be far more significant than weaning away those who have already become traffickers, suppliers or addicts.

Pakistan and Iran have the opportunity to establish a new model for global use, illustrating the benefits flowing from bilateral cooperative efforts combining countries together.

Second, Iran and Pakistan face a significant under exploitation of their potential to significantly expand their economic relations.

For years, both countries have made little progress in expanding bilateral trade or undertaking joint new projects to enlarge their modest economic relations. Pakistan's economic needs would continue to present the challenge of finding new markets for exporting the country's labour or finding convenient sources for importing energy resources.

Iran's significant gas reserves offer a viable alternative for Pakistan to import gas, especially if the two countries can agree on a regional pipeline to be extended to third countries.

As Pakistan and Iran set their eyes on widening economic ties, their future can also take them to collaborative efforts at forums such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), where there are precedents of other neighbouring states becoming tied in cooperative ventures.

In time, Pakistan and Iran could also benefit from opportunities to undertake joint investment projects in areas such as developing new infrastructure projects. Ultimately, though Iran has vast energy reserves, Pakistan's recovering economy could also present opportunities for Pakistani businessmen to head to Iran for considering new projects.

Third, Pakistan and Iran are faced with an overwhelming need to establish a fresh security dialogue where strategic planners from the two sides have an opportunity to engage in cooperation without necessarily posing a threat to any third country.

Pakistan's emerging small arms industry provides ample opportunities for exporting light weapons for the use of regular military and paramilitary troops. As a step beyond such interaction, Pakistan and Iran also have the opportunity to benefit from each other's appreciation of the emerging threats and opportunities surrounding them.

Ultimately, Pakistan and Iran, as neighbours, must work towards a shared understanding of their security perceptions.

In the larger scheme of global affairs, such a common understanding could be developed without necessarily posing a threat to any third country.

For instance, a cooperative effort to develop high capacity weapons categorised as weapons of mass destruction, is bound to be seen as a hostile act in many western capitals.

But an effort aimed towards routine exchange of military personnel and joint programmes for training cadets along with frequent joint defence forums could go a long way in establishing a common security framework.

Finally, Iran and Pakistan not only have the opportunity but the common need to establish a closer understanding on politics of their surrounding region.

The two countries, placed strategically next to the supply route of the bulk of the world's oil supplies, have ample opportunity to influence the global agenda. The need for such cooperation has indeed become all the more intense in the wake of the U.S. led war on Iraq and the fear that Washington plans to target other surrounding countries.

Its difficult to predict just yet, exactly how the U.S. plans for Iraq would shape up and influence the broader Middle East region.

But what is certain is that with public opinions so angered with the U.S. led coalition that attacked Iraq, the Middle East and its surrounding areas are likely to remain unsettled for the foreseeable future.

One way to begin diffusing tensions would be to establish a new political dialogue among the states of the Middle East with the purpose of evolving new thinking to deal with the future of the region.

States such as Pakistan and Iran