Pakistan- Iran ties stable despite drone downing

The downing of an Iranian drone by a Pakistan Air Force ( PAF) fighter jet will not affect ties between the two countries, Chinese experts said, adding that India won’t succeed in driving a wedge between Iran and Pakistan by hyping the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

An Iranian drone allegedly on a “spying mission” was shot down by a Chinese- made PAF JF- 17 Thunder fighter jet in Baluchistan’s Panjgur area, the Associate Press reported Tuesday.

An anonymous Pakistani official confirmed to Pakistan news outlet DawnNews on Tuesday that the Iranian drone was shot down by a JF- 17 after it ventured “deep inside Pakistani airspace” on a spying mission.

“The downing of the drone is not an indication of cooling Pakistan- Iran relations. Although Pakistan enjoys close ties with Saudi Arabia, which is Iran’s arch rival in the Middle East, Islamabad practices an independent foreign policy, since it doesn’t follow Riyadh on many issues, including breaking off ties with Qatar and getting involved militarily in Yemen,” Hua Liming, a former Chinese ambassador to Iran, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

“Iran and Pakistan are neighbors and their relations have not experienced too many problems. But India is trying to make Iran believe that the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor, especially the construction of the Gwadar port, will also impair Iran’s interests, so the two countries might experience some friction, Hua said.

China hopes their ties remain healthy and stable since they are all friendly to China, Hua added.