On mid-January, Iran and Pakistan exchanged missile strikes to suppress terrorist groups sheltered in the other side of their common border. These mutual “violation of sovereignty” led to criticism and speculations about possible escalation of regional tensions.

In a note published in Indian online newspaper, ThePrint, on January 21, Majid Afshani, director of GPTT’s International Department while rejecting Iran’s intention to deteriorate the bilateral relations, warned against miscalculations that are likely in such situations. He sought the origin of Iran’s operation in the repetitive terrorist acts of a Pakistan-sheltered group, most recently December 15, 2023, and the Islamabad’s inability to prevent the group from committing terrorist acts inside Iran’s territory. Relating to other retaliatory operations launched by Iran toward Erbil, Iraq and Idlib, Syria, Afshani wrote that “Iran was left with no option other than effective responses to all sources of continuous threats that injected the feeling of insecurity into the society,” whereas he found the Pakistan’s retaliation as “unbalanced and unacceptable.”

However, Afshani referred the whole situation as an “accidental distraction” in favor of Israeli regime, since the central issue of the Islamic world is Israel’s war on Gaza, and suggested that from a long-term perspective, creating and maintaining security is a prerequisite for improving economic relations, in which India can also play an important role.