MYC leader for expanding ties with Iran, Turkey

Islamabad :Milli Yakjehti Council (MYC) Deputy Secretary General Sakbir Akbar has strongly advocated for reorientation of Pakistan’s foreign policy to focus more on closer relations with the regional and the Middle Eastern countries.

“We have before us the latest heartening development of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paying a visit to Iran at a critical juncture with the region witnessing fast-paced developments,” he said in an informal chat with this correspondent here.

Akbar, who is a noted religious expert, having a close eye on regional issues and the events, unfolding in the Middle East, emphasised that Pakistan must expand its relations, in all possible fields, with Iran and Turkey. “The three countries have enjoyed firm and confident relations over the years,” he said. 

“While Turkey is already finding ways into infrastructure development and transport and other areas, Iran can be handy in addressing our energy issues. Islamabad is needed to speed up efforts for realisation of the already-delayed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline,” he argued.

Referring to one-day visit of Erdogan to Tehran on October 04, where he had wide-ranging discussions with Iranian leadership, Akbar said that putting behind the string of ups and downs in their relations, both countries shared unanimity on many issues and one of them was Kurdistan referendum.

The expert said Pakistan, along with Turkey and Iran, was in a position to play a crucial part in addressing issues, confronting the Muslim Ummah. He added these three important countries had the potential to give a new vigour and push to the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) that hitherto could not deliver, as was expected.

 “Turkey and Iran have been in opposite camps over the years before the Islamic revolution and after it, even on Yemen and Syria at one time but they have overcome problems to come together as well and this has lessons for other nations to learn,” he maintained.

He pointed out that Turkey was also exploring avenues for closer cooperation with Russia while Saudi Arabian king recently visited Moscow, which shows how important it was to diversify relations, matching the new challenges and needs.

In reply to a question, Akbar maintained that not only at regional but also at the global level, new alignments were being witnessed, which necessitated that Islamabad should also come out innovative with regard to regional and global dynamics.

He welcomed warming up of relations between Pakistan and Russia and stressed that there was much more to benefit from each other in the coming months and years. Akbar said the world was fast moving away from being uni-polar to multi-polar scenario. “It is high time for my country to also ponder over how to fit in the new regional and global scene, as a dignified nation in the backdrop of new push in Turkey-Iran relations,” he concluded.