Pakistan |
Iran |
Relations between Pakistan and Iran date back to the common prehistoric Indo-Iranian heritage (which connects all of Greater Persia with the Indo-Aryan Civilization of Pakistan) from 3000-2000 BC and the Indo-Parthian and Indo-Scythian kingdoms of antiquity to the strongly Persianized Islamic empires in South-central Asia and the Greater Middle East in the 13th to 19th centuries. Many old and historic buildings in Pakistan have Persian writing on them. Persian is also a regional language in Pakistan and is considered the 'mother of' Pakistan's national language Urdu. There is a long history of contact and mutual influence between the two nations, with significant aspects of Pakistani culture directly descended from Iranian cultures. Politically, Iran was the first country to officially acknowledge the newly formed state of Pakistan in 1947 as well. Today relations between Islamabad and Tehran are based on bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Pakistan and Iran are neighbours, connected by the Balochistan region split between them.
During the rule of 1970s, Iran's relations with Pakistan were at their peak. However, During the 1980s foreign policy of both countries experiences major shifts and, the relations between both states at times have become strained for short periods due to Pakistan's close ties with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's historic close alliance with the USA which Iran views with suspicion and recently tends to warn Pakistan against. Pakistan and Iran also supported different sides during the Afghan Civil War. However relation have never been hostile and have again improved significantly since 1999. Pakistan and Iran have a number of areas of mutual interest and opinion on Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia-Herzegovina and other matters concerning the Muslim Ummah. They are both members of Developing 8 Countries group of countries as well as the Economic Cooperation Organization. Iran and Pakistan are also both observers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
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| Iran | Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75,437,000 | 176,516,000 |
| Area | 1,648,195 km² (636,372 sq mi) | 796,095 km² (307,374 sq mi) |
| Population Density | 45.3/km² (117.4/sq mi) | 214.3/km² (555/sq mi) |
| Capital | Tehran | Islamabad |
| Largest City | Tehran | Karachi |
| Government | Islamic republic | Islamic republic and Federal Parliamentary republic |
| National language | Persian | Urdu |
| Main Religions | 98% Islam (90% Shi'a 8% Sunni), 2% religious minorities, including Bahá'ís, Mandeans, Yarsanis, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians |
95-98% Islam (80-95% Sunni, 5-20% Shi'a), 1.6% Christianity, 1.6% Hinduism, others |
| GDP (nominal) | $357.221 billion ($4,740 per capita) | $210.8 billion ($1,049 per capita) |
| GDP (PPP) | $818.7 billion | $534 billion |
| Military expenditures | $5.3.0 billion | $7.0 billion |
The history of the Persian-Indo-Aryan relations back to the era of contact between the people of the Indus Valley civilization and the early Elamites. The Indus Valley (Harappan) civilization, which is the oldest historically known civilization in the world, was contemporary with the Proto-Elamite and Elamite civilizations in ancient Iran. The Indus people had trade links with (even northern) Afghanistan, the coastal regions of Iran, and the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. At Susa in the western part of Iran, decorated pottery has been excavated which appears to be similar to those of the Kulli culture in the north-west of the South-central Asia. Indus seals have also been excavated at Kish, Sura and Ur. The Harappan culture of Pakistan, imported silver, copper, turquoise and lapis lazuli from Persia and Afghanistan, in return for ivory.
The Indus Valley (Harappan) civilization, which is one of the oldest historically known civilizations, was located in Ancient Pakistan (Indus Valley), and was contemporary with the Proto-Elamite and Elamite civilizations in ancient Iran. The Indus people, and their ancestors, had strong trade links with Iran, the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, and Egypt/Nubia. At Susa in the western part of Iran, decorated pottery has been excavated which appears to be similar to those of the Kulli culture in the north-west of the Indian subcontinent. Indus seals have also been excavated at Kish, Sura and Ur. The Indus valley people, imported silver, copper, turquoise and lapis lazuli from Persia in return for ivory. Pakistan & Iran – Age Old Ties]</ref> Further, the Elamo-Dravidian languages form an assumed language family that includes the ancient Elamite language of western Iran and the Dravidian language of Pakistan (now found mostly in the south), suggesting a possible linguistic relationship between the Elamites and Harappans before the (sometimes disputed) arrival of the Indo-Iranians speaking tribes from western Central Asia. The Elamo-Dravidian family, however, is in dispute, and scholars such as Elfenbein point out the late arrival (c. 1000 CE) of the Brahui speakers from SW Pakistan.
The emergence of the Achaemenid empire in Persia, founded by Hakhāmaniš saw parts of northwestern subcontinent came under Persian rule. The Indus valley emissaries were present at the courts of Cyrus the Great or Kurush (590 BCE - 529 BCE), whose empire extended as far east as Gandhara and Sind (South Pakistan). It is also believed that when Cyrus was threatened by Croesus of Lydia, he received military assistance from at least one Indian king.[1] Under Darius I or Darayava(h)ush (519 BCE - 485 BCE), inscriptions refer to Persian relations with Ancient Pakistan. The Behistun rock inscription (ancient Bagastana "place of Gods") dating back to 519 BCE includes Gandhara in the list of his subject countries. The epigraph of Nakhsh-i-Rustam shows India as the 24th province of his empire. It was believed to be the richest in Darius's empire. Herodotus tells us of the wealth and density of the Indus population and of the tribute paid to Darius:
The population of the ancient Pakistanis is by far the greatest of all the people that we know; and they paid tribute proportionately larger than all the rest – (the sum of) 360 talents of gold dust.
Herodotus also mentions the Indian contingent in the Persian armies consisting of infantry, cavalry, and chariots. Later, elephants are also mentioned. Under Xerxes I or Khshaya-arsha , the successor of Darius, Indians (specifically from the northwest, Bactria and Gandhara) fought alongside the Persian army against the Greeks in the battlefields of Plataea and Marathon.[2]
Achaemenian art and architecture also had a significant influence on Pakistan. Even before the Ashokan period of history, there is heavy evidence of writing in Pakistan. It has been suggested that the idea of issuing decrees by Ashoka was borrowed from the Achaemenian emperors, especially from Darius. The animal capitals of pillars in Mauryan imperial art were the inspiration for Achaemenian pillars.[3] The use of this means of propagating official messages and the individual style of the inscriptions in ancient Iran and Greece is similar.
Trade expanded mainly because Achaemenids introduced coinage, which facilitated exchange. India exported spices like black pepper and imported gold and silver coins from Iran.[3] The grape, introduced from Persia with the almond and walnut, was cultivated in the Hindukush and western Himalayas.[4] One of the earliest Persian words for a coin is Karsha (also a small weight).[5]
According to Herodotus, Artaxerxes or Artakshathra exempted the inhabitants of four Babylonian villages from taxation in return for their breeding Indian dogs for hunting and war. Dogs are rarely mentioned with respect in ancient Indian literature and was rarely, if ever, treated as a pet. The exception occurs in the Mahabharata, when the five Pandavas and their wife Draupadi take their dog with them on their final pilgrimage to heaven, and the eldest brother Yudhisthira refuses to enter without his faithful friend. It has been suggested that the episode shows Iranian influence, because for the Zoroastrians, the dog was a sacred animal.[4]
In 330 BCE, Alexander the Great defeated Darius III. In the decisive battle of Gaugamela, Indus soldiers with fifteen elephants fought with Darius against the Greeks.[6] Alexander marched into South-central Asia (not Republic of India proper) after defeating the Persians. Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Mauryan dynasty, had friendly relations with the successor of the Macedonian conqueror in Persia. Seleucus Nicator, the Hellenistic ruler of Persia, sent Megasthenes as envoy of Hellenistic Persia to the court of Pataliputra in India, the seat of the Mauryas. Persian nobles were also present in the courts of Mauryan kings. Tushaspa, a Persian, was present during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. The Aramaic-based Kharoshti script was introduced in the northwestern frontier province and continued to be in use till the 4th century CE.[7]
Buddhism became widespread in Persia within a few hundred years of its emergence in India. The Kushana king Kanishka in this area, which would later become modern day Pakistan, became a great patron of Buddhist faith. Kanishka patronized the Gandhara school of Greco-Buddhist art, which introduced Greek and Persian elements into Buddhist iconography. Buddhism became the religion of the east Iranian province of Khorasan through the Kushana emperors. The legendary biography of the Buddha in Sanskrit – the Buddhacharita – composed by Ashvaghosha - was translated into Khotanese, Sogdian and Parthian, followed by Pahlavi, then Arabic and other languages. In Iran, the story of Ibrahim ibn Adham, the prince who abandoned his kingdom to lead a religious life, is modelled on that of the Buddha.[8]
In Central Asia there was a mixture of languages, religions, and cultures, and, as Buddhism interacted with these various traditions, it changed and developed. Shamanism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity, and later Islam co-existed with Buddhism in the Indus Valley. For example, some of the Mahayana bodhisattvas, such as Amitabha, may have been inspired, in part, by Zoroastrianism. There is also evidence of some degree of syncretism between Buddhism and Manichaeism, an Iranian dualistic religion that was founded in the 3rd century CE. Zoroastrianism and Buddhism also came in close contact with regions of Pakistan and many zorastrian temples are still to be found in that country.[9]
Buddhist architecture and imagery probably influenced and was influenced by its Persian counterpart, as Buddhism spread in Persia.[3] The blue of turquoise from Khorasan became the symbol of the 'mind by nature luminous' (cittam prakriti-prabhasvaram), and the spires of Buddhist monasteries were made of turquoise, as blue was the colour of meditation. The shades of blue porcelain created by the Buddhists of China signified the subtle planes of contemplation. This tradition was adopted centuries later by the blue mosques of Persia.[3] The Jandial temple near Taxila was probably Zoroastrian.[10]
Paintings on the walls of the Alchi monastery in Ladakh (northern occupied Kashmir) reproduced in detail Sassanian motifs on textiles. They can be seen in round medallions with mythical animals. The most ancient stringed instrument from Persia – a red-sandalwood five-stringed veena – has been preserved at the Todaiji monastery in Nara, Japan since the 8th century. It is decorated with a Persian motif in mother-of-pearl inlay and represents a cultural exchange between the Persian and the Buddhist world.
The Tibetan histories of medicine relate that Jivaka, the physician to Lord Buddha was born as the son of King Bimbisara. The legend goes that as a child he once he saw a group of white-clad men and asked his father who they were. The king replied, "They are doctors and they protect people from diseases". He then wished to become a doctor and he asked his father for permission. King Bimbisara sent him to Taxila. These white-clad men were Iranians, who were famous physicians as attested by Sanskrit texts.[11]
Buddhist literature also influenced early Persian compositions. Early Persian poetry created abstract mental forms recalling the grace of Buddhist statues. Up to the 11th century, Persian poetry came from Khorasan, Sogdiana and adjacent areas, which were once steeped in Buddhism. The metaphor of Bot (Buddha) was constant and exclusive in early Persian poetry. The facial type of bot-e-mahruy ("moon-faced statue") was the norm in Persian paintings and poetry.[11] The Parthians are said to have translated Sanskrit texts into Chinese. An Shih-Kao was a Parthian prince who became a Buddhist monk. He came to China in 148 CE and translated 95 uwuiq7jhstgoi7ns
The Parthian empire was actively involved in cultural and commercial interactions with ancient Pakistan. In later Parthian times, the borderland areas of Kabul, Kandahar and Seistan, which formed part of Gandhara, were also referred to as "white India". The name "Gujarat", the region in western Republic of India, is associated with the Gujjar tribe that were partly descended from the Indo-Scythians or Sakas who were Iranian peoples, and fought against the Parthian Empire.[11] The history of Gujarat from 78 CE to 400 CE is sometimes shown as the Kshatrapa (Satrap) period, when the suzerainty of the Parthian empire was gradually replaced by the Sakas. The Indo-Scythian rulers of this time included Nahapana, Chashtana, Jayadaman and Rudradaman. Over time the rulers assumed Hindu names.[11] Also, the Ranas of Udaipur, the heads of the Sisodia clan of the Rajputs are believed to have originally been Iranians who came to India towards the end of sixth century CE. The Pallavas (Sanskrit for Pahlavas) are also believed by some to have originated from Iran. Pulakesin II, the ruler of Badami in known to have sent an embassy to Khosrau II (Parviz) in 625 CE.[12]
The Sassanian period in Persia (226-651 CE) coincided with the Gupta the golden hindu period (308-651 CE) in the Republic of India, however this empire did not include the Pakistan region. In the 6th century, sandalwood, magenta, shells, corals, pearls, gold and silver are said to have been traded between India and Persia.[13] Bam, in south-east Iran, was a major commercial and trading town on the famous Spice Road, a major tributary of the Silk Road, that connected trade routes from Pakistan through Iran to Central Asia and China.
Kushana and Gandhara art included of Parthian and east Iranian elements. Sassanian motifs are also visible in Gupta art. On the other side, the Indian peacock, dragons, cocks and spiral creepers adorn Sassanian monuments.[14] The tiles of the Harvan monastery near Srinagar, occupied Kashmir have Sassanian-influenced decorations, signifying the extent of Sassanid influence in the Kashmir valley.[15]
According to the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi (11th century CE), the 5th century Sassanian king Bahram V requested Indian king Shangol to select 12,000 "Gypsies", or Indian musicians, and introduced them to Persia. These Gypsies are believed to be the ancestors of the Persian Gypsies. They propagated Indian music and dancing in Persia, and may have travelled further west to Europe in the next four to five hundred years. It is possible that these "Gypsies" are the ancestors of the modern Roma people in Europe. It is also believed that Bahram visited India in the 5th century CE. Persian poet Hakim Nizami Ganjavi has alluded to the Indian wife of king Behram in his famous work Haft Paikar (seven figures) indicating instances of inter-marriage.[16]
In the 7th century, after the Persians lost the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah in 637 CE to the Islamic Arab armies, the Sassanian dynasty came to an end. Following this, a large community Zoroastrians migrated to India through the Strait of Hormuz. In 712 CE, the Arabs under the command of Muhammad bin Qasim also invaded Sind from the west.
Persian (فارسی) is spoken by a sizeable proportion of Pakistanis. Although Persian has no official status, it had been the lingua franca for a thousand years and a preferred language amongst the educated Muslim elite and dynasties. It was also the official and cultural language of the Mughal Empire and other Turkic Empires and various Muslim princely states based in what is now Pakistan. The Persian speaking Qizilbash tribe settled in northern regions of modern Pakistan and their numbers were further increased with the arrival of tens of thousands of Qizilbash refugees from neighboring Afghanistan when they were termed enemies of the state by the then Emir of Afghanistan for allegedly siding with the British Raj in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839 to 1842). Persian as an official language was abolished from the region with the arrival of the British in the province of Sindh in 1843 and Punjab in 1849 to minimize the influence of Persia on the regions that now make up Pakistan and to integrate these regions with the rest of South Asia. Nevertheless Persian culture continues to influence the country to this day. It has influenced and formed the base for many of Pakistan's native languages, and has greatly influenced and evolved Pakistan's national language, Urdu. It is still spoken and understood by the educated elite as a literary and prestigious language, especially in the fields of music (Qawwali) and art. The National Anthem of Pakistan, while written in Urdu, is hardly distinguishable from Persian. Allama Iqbal, the renowned poet-philosopher and national poet of Pakistan, wrote much of his poetry in Persian. The work and writings of Pakistani poet Allama Iqbal are very popular in Iran and the Supreme Leader of Iran is a big fan of Pakistan's national poet. In Iran, Dr Allama Iqbal is commonly known as “Eghbal-i-Lahuri”.
Many Persian speaking refugees, Dari and Tajiks, from Afghanistan have settled in Pakistan permanently. There are also Tajiks refugees from Tajikistan that have settled in Pakistan.
Prior to 1947 the present day Pakistani territories was under the colonial rule of the British Empire. During the Mughal period, despite Persia being a rival (in spite of being related by blood and ethnicity) to the Mughals, the influence of Persian culture had a wide impact throughout South Asia due to the Mughals themselves being highly Persianised people.[17] The Mughal Emperor Humayun sought refugee in Persia[18] - however years later the Persian emperor Nader Shah as part of his invasion of Delhi was to pass through what are now the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This area had frequent interactions with the Persian Empire, today known as Iran and was often directly ruled by Persia. There were trade relations dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Achaemenid annexation of the Punjab and Sindh during the 5th century BCE solidified this connection in the Indus valley. The Sassanid empire included parts of Baluchistan. After its collapse, large numbers of the Zoroastrians fled via the Indus Valley to other parts of the South Asia forming today's Parsi community.
In later centuries, conquests by Alexander, Timur and Nadir Shah resulted in both countries being under a single ruler. Persian nobles, most famously Nur Jahan, formed an important part of the nobility during the Mughal era.
Pakistan's western province, Balochistan, lies on the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau, tying it directly to the Greater Iranian civilization found in this area. Balochistan is part of the greater Baluchistan region that is split between Pakistan and Iran, as well as southern Afghanistan. A significant numbers of Persian speakers can still be found in Pakistan's western provinces.
The key languages of both countries - Persian, Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi, Sindhi, Urdu - are part of the Indo-Iranian and Indo-European languages family tree. Modern day Urdu draws its script and a significant part of its vocabulary from Persian. The national anthem of Pakistan is written in a heavily Persianized dialect of Urdu. A small Parsi community continues to live in Karachi. Pakistan still has an estimated 1.5 to 2 million native speakers of Persian.
As a result of these close geographical, ethnic, linguistic and cultural ties, there are strong common ethno-linguistic and cultural bonds between Iranians and Pakistan.
In 1947 Iran was the first country to recognize the newly-independent state of Pakistan.
During the Shah's era, Iran moved closer to Pakistan in many fields and the two nations worked closely with each other. Pakistan, Iran and Turkey joined the United States-sponsored CENTO (Central Treaty Organization) defence treaty which extended along the Soviet Union's southern perimeter.
Their relationship further strengthened in the 1970s to suppress a rebel movement in Balochistan, across provinces of Iranian Baluchestan, Pakistani Baluchistan and Afghan Balochistan. In addition the Shah offered considerable development aid to Pakistan including oil and gas on preferential terms. Iran is also believed to have assisted Pakistan financially in its development of a nuclear program after India's surprise test detonation Smiling Buddha in 1974.
Pakistanis and Iranians frequently visited each other's countries. Considerable business, educational and infrastructure development took place in this period.
Both nations were part of a Cold War alliance called the Central Treaty Organization. Iran has always supported Pakistan when it went to war with India, sending over squadrons of airplanes and extra tanks as well as other arms to support it. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the prominent Pakistani nuclear scientist, is popular in Iran.
In 1965 war Pakistani fighter jets were often sent to Iran for fueling and other tactical purposes. Iran also supplied Pakistan with American military weaponry and spare parts after America cut off their military aid to Pakistan.[19] In the 1971 war Pakistani planes were sent to Iranian bases in Zahedan and Mehrabad for protection since Russian radar jamming and early Airborne warning An-12 blinded Pakistani fighters. Similarly Iran sheltered its jets at Pakistan Air Force Bases during the Iran-Iraq War. Pakistan became intermediary in several of defense deals of Iran with China and North Korea.
Migration from Persia to the South Asian subcontinent has been continous over the course of several centuries. Today, many ethnic and social groups in Pakistan trace their ancestry to Iran. Benazir, Murtaza, Sanam, and Shah Navaz were half Kurdish Iranian from her mother's side. Former Chief Martial Law Administrators Army Commander-in-Chiefs General Yahya Khan traces his ancestry to a soldier who arrived in 1738 with Nader Shah of Persia.[20] Pakistan's current Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani hails from the Gilan Province of Iran. His ancestor's Sheikh Zahed Gilani's tomb is located in the hills of Lahejan city.
“Az Zabur-i-Ajam” poem written by Pakistan's national poet Allama Iqbal was a major source of inspiration and motivation for many young people taking part in the 1979 Revolution. Scholars in Tehran University recalled that it was common during the revolution days to see people gathering in a park or corner to listen to someone reciting Iqbal’s Persian poetry.[21]
After 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, new Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto immediately withdrew Pakistan from CENTO and SEATO after Bhutto thought that the military alliances failed to protect or appropriately assist Pakistan and instead alienated the Soviet Union. After the Iranian Revolution and overthrow of Shah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini withdrew Iran from CENTO and dissociated itself from the United States and US-friendly countries such as Pakistan in response to their support of the previous Government. By 1979 Pakistan under President Zia ul Haq was close allies again with the US and came under Sphere of influence a position Pakistan has remained in since . Despite close ties under the Shah, Pakistan was among the first countries to recognize the new Iranian government, and attempted to rebuild ties. In 1980s, the Soviet Union invaded the fragile Afghan Soviet Socialist Republic (Afghan SSR) which improved the Pakistan-Iran ties and coordinated their covert support for the Afghan mujahideen.
During the 1990s, their relations were dominated by the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Iran's material support of Shiite paramilitary organizations in Pakistan in response to Saudi financial and logistical support to an Anti-Shiite Sentiment.
From 1991 till the fall Taliban government, Pakistan and Iran supported opposite sides, through proxy measure, Afghanistan war. Pakistan supported the Pashtun Taliban while Iran supported the Tajik Northern Alliance. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, they executed many Iranian residents, including a diplomats. Shia-Sunni gun battles in Pakistan became even more coordinated, thereby straining relations. The Taliban succeeded and took over the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998 and massacred thousands of Shias, according to Amnesty International. The situation worsened after Iranian leaders accused Afghanistan's ruling Taliban of holding hostage 11 Iranian diplomats, 35 Iranian truck drivers and an Iranian journalist. Iran responded to massed over 300,000 troops at the Afghan border and threatened to attack the Taliban government, which Iran never recognized, this strained relations with Pakistan, as the Taliban were seen as Pakistan's key allies.
In the Balochistan region in the southeast of Iran and in the southwest of Pakistan, the Balochi people travel regularly, often without visa's causing considerable problems for the Iranian national guards as well as Pakistan's border security force (Frontier Corps Balochistan). Since 2010 there has been an increase in friendship between the two nations with senior figures from both governments meeting each other as both countries work together to find a regional solution to the Afghan War and progress on talks to gas pipeline. As well as work on a ECO Container Train.
Relations between Iran and Pakistan improved after the removal of the Taliban in 2002, but regional rivalry continues. Sunni-majority Pakistan sides with fellow Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia in its competition with Shiite majority Iran for influence across the broader Islamic world, although Pakistan is far less ideological than either country, and is more concerned with influence in Central Asia rather than in the Arab world.} Iran considers northern and western Afghanistan as its sphere of influence since its population is Persian Dari speaking. Pakistan considers southern and eastern Afghanistan as its sphere of influence since it is Pashto and Baloch speaking like the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistani Baluchistan, respectively. Pakistan expressed concern over India's plan to build a highway linking the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar to Zahidan, since it will reduce Afghanistan's dependence on Pakistan to the benefit of Iran.
Both the countries joined the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), a derivative of Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD), which was established in 1964. The ECO groups neighboring Muslim states recently expanded to Central Asia. As part of this regional organizational framework both countries continue to cooperate on trade and investment.
In 2005, Iran and Pakistan had conducted US$500 million of trade. The land border at Taftan is the conduit for trade in electricity and oil. Iran is extending its railway network towards Taftan but the gauges are of different sizes, 1435 mm and 1676 mm respectively.
The Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline is currently under discussion. It could be a major development between all three nations. India has been pressured by the US not to go ahead with the deal and appears to have headed American policy after it signed the US-India nuclear deal. In addition international sanctions on Iran due to its controversial nuclear program could derail the project altogether.
Trade between the two countries has increased by £1.4 billion in 2009. The Iranian governor general says that President Ahmadinejad remains keen to strengthen ties between the two countries.[22]
Tehran has provided 50 million euros for laying of 170 kilometer transmission line for the import of 1000MW of electricity from Iran (2009). Pakistan is already importing 34MW of electricity daily from Iran. The imported electricity is much cheaper than the electricity produced by the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) because Iran subsidizes oil and gas which feed the power plants.[23]
Iran has also offered to construct a motorway between Iran and Pakistan connecting the two countries.[24]
Since Iran has no diplomatic relations with United States, Iranian interest in the United States is represented by the Pakistan embassy in Washington. Iranian nuclear scientist, Shahram Amiri, thought to have been abducted by CIA from Saudi Arabia, took sanctuary in the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C.Iran claimed the United States has trumped up charges they were involved with the 9/11 attacks.[25]
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