Syed Eesar Mehdi is currently associated with a project at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. He is also an Associate Research Fellow at International Centre for Peace Studies, New Delhi, India.
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.