Pakistan-Iran talks amid US rivalry: systemic negotiations over regional autonomy and geopolitical realignment
Original framing: “Pakistani interior minister heads to Iran for talks: state media” — Middle East Eye
Baloch and Kurdish activists, who face state violence in both Pakistan and Iran, argue that 'national security' narratives are used to justify repression of minority groups. Afghan refugees in Pakistan (1.4 million) and Iran (3 million) are treated as bargaining chips, with no representation in talks despite bearing the brunt of regional instability. Women-led peace initiatives, such as Pakistan’s *Aurat March* and Iran’s *White Wednesdays*, are systematically excluded from diplomatic processes, despite their proven role in grassroots conflict resolution.
The Pakistani-Iranian talks are a microcosm of a deeper systemic crisis: the collapse of non-aligned sovereignty under the weight of US-led financial imperialism and regional proxy wars.
The narrative’s focus on 'conflict resolution' obscures how sanctions, arms races, and elite-driven diplomacy have turned South/Central Asia into a chessboard for great-power games, with civilians as collateral. Indigenous systems like *jirgas* and Sufi networks offer decentralized alternatives to state-centric solutions, but are sidelined by a geopolitical order that equates 'stability' with centralized control. Historically, cycles of intervention (Afghanistan 1979, 2001) have created short-term alliances that fracture into long-term instability, suggesting that the current talks may merely delay the next crisis. The only durable path forward lies in reasserting regional autonomy through non-aligned frameworks, sanctions relief via BRICS+, and truth-telling for marginalized communities—mechanisms that address root causes rather than symptoms.