The armed exchange between Iran and Pakistan targeting their respective halves of Balochistan was sudden and unexpected. But it is not that they haven’t clashed before in that region, says Tilak Devasher, author of a book on Balochistan and former special director Cabinet Secretariat.
Devasher says the Pakistanis have been backing the Sunni militant group Jaish-e-Adl formerly Jundullah for many years. It has killed and abducted many Iranian border policemen forcing the latter to respond with their own brand of violence. Could the clashes be the result of the US and Saudis egging on Pakistan against Iran?
It cannot be ruled out although the speed with which hostilities ended underscored that neither side saw any purpose in escalation. But it has also emphasised that the longer the Gaza War continues, the greater the risk of it spilling over into new areas. Lebanon is already a flashpoint given Hezbollah provocations against Israel; the Houthis are another.
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