After the war

NOW that the war is winding down, an important question needs to be asked. Will the rulers of Iran remember with gratitude the role Pakistan played in helping secure a dignified ending for them? Iran is set to emerge as a great power in this region now, having absorbed the might of what the Zionist alliance could throw at it (short of nuclear weapons) and yet kept their cities functioning, the Strait of Hormuz under their control and forced the superpower to break off from the wishes of the Israel lobby and push for a settlement with Iran instead. Having absorbed the full might of the superpower’s bombing and emerged intact and in control is no small feat. It is a demonstration of their hard power, and once the US retreats from the region, which it will have to now, Iran is set to emerge as a power to be reckoned with. I have friends who tell me the US actually won this war. If so, this might be the very first example in history of a victor war paying reparations to the vanquished! Since 1979, Iran has been shackled behind a wall of sanctions and bludgeoned with war. Now those walls are set to come down, the war is set to fizzle out, and we don’t know what will emerge from behind this curtain. We wait to find out. Whatever shape it takes, it will be an economic powerhouse, and we can allow ourselves the hope that engaging with this economy will be an important growth vent for Pakistan. That much-vaunted overland access to Central Asia now becomes a real possibility. Thus far geography was stacked against the idea. Now that has been resolved. But the economics are still stacked against it because overland trade is very expensive. Nevertheless, if there is any trade potential with Central Asia, a route through Iran should be explored. Whether Tehran remembers us kindly and whether Washington decides to reward us handsomely are matters beyond our control. Many in Pakistan are salivating at the prospect of dollars from abroad landing in huge quantities into the country,