Pak - Iran Tension (Let's Go Nlu)

Telegram - @clat2025material (LET'S GO NLU)
Pakistan-Iran border
tensions
Pakistan-Iran border tensions
• Recently, Iran launched missile strikes on three different

countries - Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan.
• Meanwhile, proxy militant groups it backs continue to target

U.S. and Western interests and fight Israel.
• This is stoking fears of a conflict that could engulf the Middle

East and spread to other regions.
Why did Iran conduct strikes?
• Iran's strikes on Iraq, Syria and Pakistan were all in response to

attacks carried out on its soil or against Iranian targets.
• Tehran retaliated against Islamic State militants in Syria,

launching missiles following a bombing during a commemoration
for Qassem Soleimani in central Iran on Jan. 3.
• Iran claimed its strikes in Iraq on the same day targeted alleged
Israeli spy sites, a charge Iraq denies.
• Israel has killed important members of Iran's Lebanese ally

Hezbollah and of Tehran's own elite force, the Revolutionary
Guards, in Lebanon and Syria.
• The precision strikes were carried out using killer drones,

rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons.
• In Pakistan, Iranian state media said Iran destroyed two

bases of Baluchi militant Jaish al Adl, a Pakistan-based
group.
• This group claimed a December attack that resulted in the

death of Iranian security forces.
• On December 15, 2023, a police station in Rask in Iran’s

Sistan Baluchestan province, roughly 60 km from the
Pakistani border, came under attack.
• At least 11 Iranian security personnel were killed in the attack.
• It was claimed by the Jaish al-Adl (the Army of Justice).
• The army is a Sunni Islamist group operating in the border

region that has been designated as a terror outfit by Tehran.
• The Iranian strike is believed to have hit Sabz Koh village

about 45km from the Iranian border and 90km from the
nearest town Panjgur.
• Local officials described it as a sparsely populated area home

to livestock-owning Baloch tribes where smuggling of goods,
drugs and weapons is rife.
• Officials in Islamabad said two children were killed and three

others injured in the attack in Balochistan.
• As a result the Pakistan's government recalled its ambassador to

Iran and has blocked Tehran's envoy from returning.
• Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian insisted that

no Pakistani citizens had been targeted, only members of Jaish al-
Adl.
• Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes in Iran after Tehran

attack, killing at least seven people.
• Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar, who

is in Switzerland to attend the WEF in Davos, cut his trip short to
return home.
• Pakistan military used multiple weapons to strike hideouts in Iran

used by Baloch terrorists responsible for recent attacks.
Other’s reaction –
• The tit-for-tat attacks within two days have raised tensions

in the volatile region, already roiled by Israel’s war on Hamas.
• The complex relationship between Iran and Pakistan is

teetering on the edge.
• The United Nations and the United States appealed for

restraint on after Iran and Pakistan traded deadly air
strikes on militant targets on each other's territory.
• A spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the strike

was “a matter between Iran and Pakistan,”.
• Although he stressed India has “zero tolerance towards terrorism.”
• China urged Iran and Pakistan to exercise restraint in handling their

ongoing conflict after the deadly strike.
Iran –
• Iran, also known as Persia and officially the Islamic

Republic of Iran, is a country in West Asia.
• The capital of Iran is Tehran.
• The president of Iran is Ebrahim Raisi and the Supreme

leader is Ali Khamenei.
Iran Bomb Blasts
Islamic revolution –
• Iranian Revolution refers to the popular movement in Iran in

1979.
• It overthrew a pro-western monarchy of Pahlavi dynasty and

established an Islamic republic.
• Pahlavi was superseded by the theocratic government

of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a religious cleric who had
headed one of the rebel factions.
What is going on at home in Iran?
• Nationwide protests convulsed Iran in 2022 and 2023 and

shook the government into a brutal crackdown.
• The protests were the most serious challenge for years to the
Shi’ite clerical rule that Iran’s 1979 revolution ushered in.
• Iran continues to suppress dissent at home but was rocked this

month by the attack at the commemoration of
Soleimani, claimed by Islamic State.
• Attacks by Jaish al Adl, have prompted many Iranians to

question whether Tehran's government can guarantee their
domestic security.
• Western and regional analysts broadly assess that Iran wishes

to avoid a direct military confrontation with the United States or
Israel.
• However, Iran is willing to use its proxies to keep both those

enemies’ militaries occupied in the region.
Iran- Pakistan relations –
• Iran shares a 959-kilometer (596-mile) border with Pakistan,

primarily located in the turbulent province of Sistan-Balochistan.
• The region hosts ethnic Baloch people, who are Sunni

Muslims, facing discrimination and repression from the Shiite-
dominated regime.
• Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, both countries were

firmly allied to the United States.
• In 1955, they had joined the Baghdad Pact, later known as the
Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), a military alliance
modeled on NATO.
• Iran provided material and weapons support to Pakistan during its

1965 and 1971 wars against India.
• After the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, the Shah of Iran

famously said that he would not tolerate “further disintegration” of
Pakistan.
• When Ayatollah Khomeini’s ultra-conservative Shiite regime

took power in Iran, Sunni-majority Pakistan was undergoing its
own Islamization under military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq.
• The two countries found themselves at opposite ends of the

sectarian divide.
• As Iran went from being an ally to a sworn enemy of the United

States almost overnight, the Americans embraced Pakistan closer.
• Since 1979, has been a major reason for the Iranian distrust of
Pakistan, which increased after 9/11.
• Islamabad extended unqualified support to the US “War on

Terror”.
• Pakistan and Iran ended up on opposite sides in Afghanistan

after the withdrawal of Soviet forces.
• Iran backed the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, a Pakistani

creation.
• It almost entered the war after the hardline Sunni militia

massacred Persian-speaking Shia Hazaras and eight Iranian
diplomats in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998.
• Over the years, the two countries have made attempts to improve
their ties.
• However, The relationship soured after Gen Pervez Musharraf

took power in a military coup in October 1999.
• It did not show signs of improvement until the Pakistan

People’s Party returned to power in 2008.
Source : BBC
The Baloch Problem –
• The Iran-Pakistan border, known as the Goldsmith Line,

stretches from a tripoint with Afghanistan to the northern
Arabian Sea.
• Roughly 9 million ethnic Baloch live on either side of the line,

in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, and the Iranian
province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
• The Baloch share cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious links

that transcend modern borders.
• They also nurse deeply rooted grievances against both the

Pakistani and Iranian states.
• In Pakistan, the Baloch are an ethnic minority physically and

politically distant from the Punjabi-dominated regime.
• In Iran, in addition to being an ethnic minority, the majority-Sunni

Baloch are also a religious minority who have been persecuted by
the state.
• The Baloch homeland is rich in natural resources but

impoverished.
• In Iran, 80% of the Baloch population lives under the poverty

line.
• In Pakistan, massive investments in projects such as China’s Belt

and Road initiative have not improved their lives.
• Baloch nationalism traces its roots to the early decades of the

20th century.
• Their marginalisation in both countries in subsequent years fuelled

several separatist movements for a “Greater Balochistan”
nation state.
• The Baloch insurgents in Iran often organize on Sunni religious

lines, while those in Pakistan are primarily secular ethno-nationalist.
• Iran and Pakistan have earlier cooperated to combat the Baloch

insurgency.
• Simultaneously, the insurgency has fueled tension, with both

countries accusing each other of harboring terrorists.
Militant groups that have hit in cross-border strikes -
1. Jaish Al-Adl -
• Literally “the Army of Justice”, JAA emerged in 2012.
• It originated from the older Jundallah organization after its

leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, was captured and executed by Iran.
• It has the stated objective of securing recognition of Baluchi rights

from the Iranian government.
• Tehran, however, considers it a terrorist group due to repeated

deadly assaults on Iranian forces near the border since 2013.
• Tehran officials, thus call it Jaish al-Zulm or “the Army of

Injustice”.
• Abdolrahim Mullahzadeh is reportedly the current leader of

JAA, though not much is publicly known about him.
• Koh-e-Sabz where the attack occurred is known to be the home of

Jaish al-Adl’s former second-in-command Mullah Hashim.
• He was killed in clashes with Iranian forces in Sarawan, an

Iranian region adjacent to Panjgur, in 2018.
2. Baloch Liberation Front, Baloch Liberation Army -
• Pakistan responded to Iran’s strike by targeting Iran-based

hideouts of two Baloch militant groups, both deemed as
“terrorist organisations” by Pakistan.
(i) the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF)

(ii) the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)
• The BLF was founded by Jumma Khan Marri in Damascus,

Syria in 1964.
• It was at the forefront of the Baloch insurgency in Iran in 1968-73

then in Pakistan in 1973-78.
• However, after being decimated in both the countries, it fell off

the map by 1980, with its founder moving to Afghanistan.
• BLF re-emerged in 2004 under the leadership of Allah Nazar

Baloch.
• BLF is known to work closely with the BLA, which was founded
around 2000.
• BLA began a violent struggle for Baloch self-determination in

Pakistan in 2004.
• It is currently led by Basheer Zeb, and like BLF, has carried out
various attacks over the years.
• Pakistan has alleged that both BLF and BLA share close ties with
India, providing arms, training, and financial aid.
• However, both India and the militant organizations have rejected

this claim.
Prior Approval
• The Supreme Court issued a split verdict on former Andhra

Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu's plea.
• The plea sought to dismiss an FIR in the alleged skill

development scam case.
• Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi disagreed on

whether the AP CID was required to seek ‘previous approval’
from the state government before conducting an inquiry.
Prior Approval
• Justice Bose held that prior approval was necessary, which the
CID did not have when it opened the inquiry.
• Justice Trivedi held that it was necessary to seek approval

only to investigate offenses committed after 2018.
• This requirement was introduced in that year.

Prior Approval
Skill Development Scam case –
• Chandrababu Naidu became the chief minister of Andhra

Pradesh in 2014.
• Within months of coming to power, he announced an ambitious

skill development programme.
• The programme was to promote youth employment and

entrepreneurship in the state.
Prior Approval
• The idea was to set up a particular corporation, which would

collect content from various educational courses offered across
the country and abroad.
• It offer courses to students online based on this curated

content.
• Naidu’s government signed an MoU with Siemens India to

set up skill development centres.
Prior Approval
• In 2015, the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development

Corporation (APSSDC) was established.
• This Rs 3,356 crore project, however, came under fire in

2021, when current CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy dubbed it
a ‘scam’ in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.
• An FIR was filed against Naidu in December 2021.

Prior Approval
• According to AP branch of the Crime Investigation Department

at the time, at least Rs 241 crore earmarked for the project was
diverted to five shell companies.
• Ostensibly, these companies were meant to provide IT resources to

Andhra’s skill development centres.
• But instead, the money was allegedly sent to accounts linked to

Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh.
Prior Approval
• The CID also alleged that there was a lack of transparency.
• They alleged that attempts were made to destroy evidence

linked to the investigation.
• The case went to Andhra Pradesh high court and then

the Supreme court.
Prior Approval
The prior approval saga –
• In 2003, the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946,

which governs agencies like the CBI, was amended.
• Under Section 6A, seeking approval from the central government

was mandatory.
• This requirement applied when investigating alleged offences under

the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988, and involved
employees holding a rank higher than joint secretary.
Prior Approval
• In 2018, the NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation

(CPIL) challenged the constitutionality of this requirement.
• It argued that determining if a public official committed an offense

during duty would be "extremely difficult" without the possibility of
an initial investigation.
• Imposing this burden on law enforcement and investigative

agencies would effectively shield corrupt officials, leading to
increased levels of corruption.
Prior Approval
• The CPIL also pointed to the 2014 case in which the Supreme
Court had struck down a similar requirement.
• In July 2023, the case was listed before a Bench of Justices B V

Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol.
• The case involving Naidu is not the first time that the SC has
decided whether the ‘previous approval’ requirement should apply
retrospectively.
Prior Approval
• Last September, a Constitution Bench held that officials cannot

claim immunity under Section 6A, even if the offence was
committed before this provision was struck down.
• In 2018, former Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana

faced allegations of accepting bribes.
• At that time, then Additional Solicitor General P S Narasimha

opined that there was no need for prior approval to lodge an FIR.
Prior Approval
• The case against Asthana reached the Supreme Court in 2021 but
faced repeated adjournments without being heard.
• It was declared infructuous after Asthana retired in 2022.
• The State in recent case had argued that Mr. Naidu could not avail
the protection of Section 17A.
Prior Approval
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 –
• The Prevention of Corruption of Act, 1988 is an important

legislation to fight with evil of corruption.
• The Act defines corruption and its various forms, including

bribery, abuse of power, and illicit enrichment.
• It covers public servants, both in the government and public

sector undertakings, who engage in corrupt practices.
Prior Approval
• Section 2 of the Act includes several important definitions that

help clarify the scope and application of the Act.
• The two most important definitions defined in the Act include,

‘public duty’ and public servant’.
• Public duty means “a duty in the discharge of which the

State, the public or the community at large has an interest.”
Prior Approval
• Section 2 (c)(viii) of Act envisages a public servant to

include, “any person who holds an office by virtue of which he is
authorised or required to perform any public duty”.
• Section 8 prohibits obtaining gratification by corrupt or

criminal means to influence a public worker.

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Telegram - @clat2025material (LET'S GO NLU)

• Recently, Iran launched missile strikes on three different

• Meanwhile, proxy militant groups it backs continue to target

• This is stoking fears of a conflict that could engulf the Middle

Why did Iran conduct strikes?

• Iran's strikes on Iraq, Syria and Pakistan were all in response to

• Tehran retaliated against Islamic State militants in Syria,

• Israel has killed important members of Iran's Lebanese ally

• The precision strikes were carried out using killer drones,

• In Pakistan, Iranian state media said Iran destroyed two

• This group claimed a December attack that resulted in the

• On December 15, 2023, a police station in Rask in Iran’s

• At least 11 Iranian security personnel were killed in the attack.

• It was claimed by the Jaish al-Adl (the Army of Justice).

• The army is a Sunni Islamist group operating in the border

• The Iranian strike is believed to have hit Sabz Koh village

• Local officials described it as a sparsely populated area home

• Officials in Islamabad said two children were killed and three

• As a result the Pakistan's government recalled its ambassador to

• Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian insisted that

• Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes in Iran after Tehran

• Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar, who

• Pakistan military used multiple weapons to strike hideouts in Iran

• The tit-for-tat attacks within two days have raised tensions

• The complex relationship between Iran and Pakistan is

• The United Nations and the United States appealed for

• A spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the strike

• Although he stressed India has “zero tolerance towards terrorism.”

• China urged Iran and Pakistan to exercise restraint in handling their

• Iran, also known as Persia and officially the Islamic

• The capital of Iran is Tehran.

• The president of Iran is Ebrahim Raisi and the Supreme

• Iranian Revolution refers to the popular movement in Iran in

• It overthrew a pro-western monarchy of Pahlavi dynasty and

• Pahlavi was superseded by the theocratic government

What is going on at home in Iran?

• Nationwide protests convulsed Iran in 2022 and 2023 and

• Iran continues to suppress dissent at home but was rocked this

• Attacks by Jaish al Adl, have prompted many Iranians to

• Western and regional analysts broadly assess that Iran wishes

• However, Iran is willing to use its proxies to keep both those

Iran- Pakistan relations –

• Iran shares a 959-kilometer (596-mile) border with Pakistan,

• The region hosts ethnic Baloch people, who are Sunni

• Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, both countries were

• Iran provided material and weapons support to Pakistan during its

• After the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, the Shah of Iran

• When Ayatollah Khomeini’s ultra-conservative Shiite regime

• The two countries found themselves at opposite ends of the

• As Iran went from being an ally to a sworn enemy of the United

• Islamabad extended unqualified support to the US “War on

• Pakistan and Iran ended up on opposite sides in Afghanistan

• Iran backed the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, a Pakistani

• It almost entered the war after the hardline Sunni militia

• However, The relationship soured after Gen Pervez Musharraf

• It did not show signs of improvement until the Pakistan

The Baloch Problem –

• The Iran-Pakistan border, known as the Goldsmith Line,

• Roughly 9 million ethnic Baloch live on either side of the line,

• The Baloch share cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious links

• They also nurse deeply rooted grievances against both the

• In Pakistan, the Baloch are an ethnic minority physically and

• In Iran, in addition to being an ethnic minority, the majority-Sunni