On 13 May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year long-term contract for operation of Shahid Behesti terminal at the Chabahar port in Iran, eight years after concluding the general framework of cooperation on the Chabahar port. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in May 2015 for the development of this port by India and on 23 May 2016, the contract was executed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran.
Although most of the demands have been accepted― of course, not before securitizing the political issue by deploying FC, Rangers along with police to use force against the protesters― the people of AJK are unlikely to forget the ordeal they have had to pass through, for the last more than six months, which has certainly steeled their nerves.
In Pakistan, it has been the norm to address issues only when they have ballooned into a full-blown crisis; be it the GB protests or the rights movement in AJK. Only few month have passed since the local population of GB had staged protests along similar lines. It remains to be seen whether the government’s steps satisfy the people in both regions in the long term.
The militant ethnic assertion in the Baloch majority region straddling Iran and Pakistan is a function of the apathy shown by the states towards the people inhabiting the area which has pushed them towards violence. Rather than addressing the underlying causes of ethnic unrest, the two states have episodically exchanged missiles and diplomatic barbs against each other, which is certain to keep the Pak-Iran border region disturbed in future.
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The Chabahar Port and India-Iran Agreement
Ashish Shukla
On 13 May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year long-term contract for operation of Shahid Behesti terminal at the Chabahar port in Iran, eight years after concluding the general framework of cooperation on the Chabahar port. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in May 2015 for the development of this port by India and on 23 May 2016, the contract was executed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran.
Widening gulf between Pakistan and AJK
Nazir Ahmad Mir
Although most of the demands have been accepted― of course, not before securitizing the political issue by deploying FC, Rangers along with police to use force against the protesters― the people of AJK are unlikely to forget the ordeal they have had to pass through, for the last more than six months, which has certainly steeled their nerves.
From Autonomy in GB to Rights Movement in AJK: The State vs The People in PoK
Zainab Akhter
In Pakistan, it has been the norm to address issues only when they have ballooned into a full-blown crisis; be it the GB protests or the rights movement in AJK. Only few month have passed since the local population of GB had staged protests along similar lines. It remains to be seen whether the government’s steps satisfy the people in both regions in the long term.
Jaish al-Adl and Pak-Iran Exchange of Fire: The Underlying Condition
Syed Eesar Mehdi
The militant ethnic assertion in the Baloch majority region straddling Iran and Pakistan is a function of the apathy shown by the states towards the people inhabiting the area which has pushed them towards violence. Rather than addressing the underlying causes of ethnic unrest, the two states have episodically exchanged missiles and diplomatic barbs against each other, which is certain to keep the Pak-Iran border region disturbed in future.