Was it another déjà vu moment of betrayal and double-dealing for the US after a report accused Pakistan of protecting Iranian warplanes while presenting itself as a “mediator” in the ongoing Gulf war? Pakistan has a long history of resorting to double games, selective cooperation, and covert policies, thus persistently surrounding itself with suspicion and damaging its international credibility.
Islamabad allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at the important Nur Khan air base in order to shield them from possible American assault. This questioned Pakistan’s neutrality, reinforced long-standing suspicions and underscored its strategic unpredictability. The latest revelation revives the memories of Islamabad’s dubious dealings in the past, such as presence of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, the ally and proxy strategy in Afghanistan and shielding nuclear proliferation scandals.
Pakistan got a rare opportunity to facilitate the high-tension talks between the US and Iran, despite its failure to broker successful negotiations on several occasions in the past. However, it squandered the latest opportunity by harbouring Iranian military airplanes at the airbase near the capital city of Islamabad. High-resolution satellite imagery confirmed Pakistan’s action, thus inviting strong criticism from US officials.
Islamabad’s denial of any association of the Iranian airplanes with military purposes cannot absolve it from suspicion, especially, given the strategic sensitivity of the airbase and the timing of the incident. It certainly embarrassed US President Donald Trump, who had confided confidence in Pakistan and showered praises on its civilian and military leadership. Trump has publicly backed Pakistan’s mediator role.
People from Trump’s inner circle have slammed Pakistan over its duplicity and deceitfulness. “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a well-known voice on national security matters and a close confidant of Trump. There are long-standing concerns about the Pakistan establishment cooperating with the US while maintaining ties with elements or pursuing policies contrary to American interests.
In 2011, US forces found and killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. Interestingly, Pakistan was America’s most trusted ally in the War on Terror and was helping the US forces locate Laden. Not in a remote cave, but Laden was found living for years near the Pakistani Military Academy in Abbottabad. It was shocking since the US relied on Pakistan and provided it with billions in dollars aid and sophisticated weapons.
US officials believed that Pakistan had protected Laden and Islamist militant networks for strategic reasons. Concerned about the ill-intention of ally Pakistan, US forces did not inform Islamabad before entering Pakistani airspace and raided the house where Laden was living. It reflected a severe collapse of trust and enormous reputational damage to Pakistan’s image. Islamabad paid the cost in terms of reduced US aid and growing anti-Pakistan sentiment in the West.
The world became deeply concerned about Pakistan after it was found to be involved in the clandestine and illegal transfer of nuclear technology to countries such as Iran, Libya, and North Korea. Islamabad protected the main accused, scientist A.Q. Khan. While Islamabad denied any links with Khan’s work, non-proliferation experts did not buy it as they said this kind of work was not possible without some level of institutional awareness and support.
Even if one has to believe that the state of Pakistan did not have a direct role in Khan’s illicit nuclear transfers, the country’s oversight mechanisms were dangerously weak. Either way Pakistan was responsible for the nuclear leakages. There was a high risk that nuclear technology may fall in the hands of religious extremists. The alarming image of Pakistan led to a growing perception that it pursued parallel or covert strategic policies.
The latest case of housing Iranian warplanes is another chapter in Pakistan’s ambiguous or contradictory policies in regional conflicts. It undermined Pakistan’s projected image as a neutral diplomatic intermediary. Besides, the US may interpret this as Pakistan acting against its interests, potentially weakening Washington’s strategic leverage over Islamabad. Islamabad has failed miserably in hedging between adversaries while pretending to serve as a reliable partner.
Pakistan has significantly weakened its credibility as a potential mediator or facilitator in any future negotiations between the United States and Iran. The international community already views Pakistan as an unreliable and ambiguous actor in global politics, and the latest controversy has further deepened that perception. Pakistan has tarnished its image as an untrustworthy and opportunistic actor that plays a dangerous double game