Pakistan dubs trade route linking Chabahar Port as 'security threat'

Iran must not be further alienated and its interests in CPEC should be developed, says retired Lt-Gen Nadeem Lodhi

Former Pakistan defence secretary and retired Lieutenant General, Asif Yasin Malik, has said that the alliance between India, Afghanistan and Iran was a security threat to Pakistan.

"In view of the regional and global environment, i see Pakistan falling into an abyss of isolation primarily because of its own mistakes and partly due to the hostile policies of other states," General Malik said.

According to Dawn, Malik blamed the situation on the dysfunctional foreign office and the absence of a full time foreign minister.

Advisor on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, at a press conference earlier on Thursday said that Pakistan did not see Iran's Chabahar port as a rival and Pakistan was in fact exploring the possibility of developing links with Gwadar.

At an event earlier, retired Lt-Gen Nadeem Lodhi said the existence of such a formidable bloc in the neighbourhood had ominous and far reaching implications for Pakistan.

He feared the three-nation bloc will affect Pakistan's plans for regional economic integration, restoration of internal peace and maintenance of peaceful borders.

"It will also affect CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) timelines. We need to break out of this encircling move with help from friends, diplomatic manoeuvres and by forging a strong deterrence," he said, adding that of the three countries, Iran is most likely to pay heed to Pakistani concerns.

"Iran must not be further alienated and its interests in CPEC should be developed," Lodhi added.

He said that the defence and strategic relationship with China should be formalised instead of an unwritten understanding.

Air University Registrar Ghulam Mujadid said that the eminence of security in national priorities is reflected in the four military takeovers in the country and the ascendancy of military in political, internal and foreign policy decision making.

"Pakistan needs to correct this strategic myopia. A survivalist mindset about national security dominates the political discourse and continues to be the central pillar in Pakistan's strategic calculations," he said.