ISLAMABAD: Influen­tial Iranian scholar and former foreign minister Dr Kamal Kharazi on Tuesday backed a Pakistani proposal for quadrilateral cooperation between Pakistan, Iran, China and Russia.

Speaking at a conference at the Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) on ‘Pakistan and Security in West Asia’, Dr Kharazi, who is currently leading Tehran-based Strategic Council on Foreign Relations — a think tank believed to be close to Iran’s power structures — said: “The proposal put forward by Pakistan on cooperation between Pakistan, Iran, China and Russia in security and economic realm should be studied.”

He said existing geo-political environment in the West and South Asia and the US policies, which were against both countries, made it imperative for them to cooperate.

He listed a number of steps that Tehran and Islamabad could take for increasing their cooperation, which included security and intelligence collaboration, working together for peace and stability in Afghanistan, developing connectivity between Gwadar and Chahbahar ports, completing the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, boosting trade and economic relations, having currency swap arrangement, and enhancing people-to-people contact.

About Pakistani concerns vis-à-vis India in Iran, he said Tehran was not oblivious to the reservations. He said the best way to address those concerns was for Pakistan to join the Chahbahar project along with China and connect it with Gwadar. This, he said, would remove Pakistan’s concerns and also further objectives of Chinese ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative.

He urged Pakistan to address Iran’s security concerns, especially on its eastern border.

Dr Kharazi said Pakistan, despite being part of anti-Iran alliance led by Saudi Arabia, had remained impar­tial. He urged Islamabad to play the role of a “constructive intermediary” for resolving the disputes am­ong the Muslim countries.

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani stressed the need for a multilateral approach, involving Pakis­tan and Iran, for regional peace and security. He, however, underscored that Islamabad and Tehran would have to be mindful of each other’s concerns.

Dr Kharazi, during a meeting with National Security Advi­ser retired Lt Gen Nasser Janjua, said Pakistan and Iran were facing common challenges due to prolonged instability in Afghanistan.

Gen Janjua and Dr Kharazi welcomed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s offer of dialogue to the Taliban and asked the warring groups to make use of it to seek an enduring peace for Afghanistan. “We all need to work together for the stability of Afghanistan,” they further agreed.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2018