Counter-terrorism summit

Shakoor Rahim, Deutsche Welle's correspondent in Islamabad, reports that the three neighboring countries pledged to "work towards regional peace and security" in a joint statement issued at the end of the two-day conference.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the summit to lash out against "foreign interference" in the region. "All problems are coming from outside," said Ahmadinejad. "In order to promote their goals and ambitions... they don't want to allow our nations to develop," Ahmadinejad told a news conference, alluding to the West.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said Islamabad's relations with Tehran could not be "undermined" by any international pressure, referring to a planned multibillion-dollar gas pipeline opposed by Washington.

The conference was held at a key juncture in peace efforts with the Taliban and amid increasing tensions between Iran and Israel, which experts believe are likely to worsen Pakistan's relations with the United States.

It was the third trilateral summit between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran after two conferences in 2009 and 2011 in Tehran. The next meeting is planned by the end of the year in Kabul.

Peace efforts in Afghanistan

On Friday, Zardari said that Pakistan "would provide all its support against terrorism" but also criticized Kabul for allowing drugs production and smuggling to increase, which many believe fuels insurgency in Afghanistan. Karzai also emphasized the need for "greater cooperation" and said all impediments to peace should be removed "sooner than later."

Regional experts are of the opinion that the Islamabad summit will possibly irk the United States, which is reportedly holding separate "peace talks" with the Afghan Taliban. The US is winding up its operations in Afghanistan after a decade-long war against Islamist militants and NATO troops are scheduled to withdraw from war-torn Afghanistan in 2014.

The Afghan government and the US blame some sections of the Pakistani government for supporting Taliban militants. Nevertheless, they believe Islamabad's support is crucial for a lasting peace in Afghanistan.

Some experts are of the view that Islamabad is not ready to abort its "covert support" of the Taliban, and this is causing serious problems for Washington, which needs a respectable and safe exit strategy for Afghanistan.

Dr. Naeem Ahmed, professor of International Relations at Karachi University, told Deutsche Welle that Pakistan wanted "to see a bigger role for the Taliban in Afghanistan."

"Washington and Kabul also want to take the Taliban on board, and there are reports that they are already conducting secret talks with some of their factions, but they want to exclude Pakistan from these negotiations," he added. "That is not going down well with Islamabad. That, in my opinion, is the biggest hurdle in US-Pakistani relations."

Energy crisis versus political repercussions

Pakistani President Zardari said on Friday that Islamabad would not accept any pressure on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.

Islamabad is pressing ahead with a multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline project to import fuel from Iran which is expected to be completed in 2014. The agreement was signed in 2010 despite strong opposition by the US."We are looking to complete the pipeline project by 2014 to meet our energy requirements. It is important for our economic growth," Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said earlier.

The trilateral summit comes at a time when tensions between the United States and Iran are intense. Last Monday, US President Barack Obama imposed new sanctions on Iran's central bank in an effort put pressure on Tehran to reverse its course on its controversial nuclear program.

Both US and the European Union have imposed economic sanctions on Tehran, rejecting its claims that its nuclear program is meant for peaceful purposes. Western countries believe the hardline Iranian regime is secretly building a nuclear bomb.

On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad unveiled new strides in Tehran's controversial nuclear program, further exacerbating relations between the West and Tehran. However, a senior Pakistani official said US-Iran tensions would not dominate the summit.

Regional allies

Mushahid Hussain Syed, head of the Pakistan-China Center told Deutsche Welle that the conference was "proof that the foreign policy of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran was undergoing a transformation. These countries are forging a regional partnership, which also includes China," Syed said. On the other hand, Farooq Sulehria, Pakistani journalist and political activist based in London, told Deutsche Welle that it would be a difficult task for Pakistan to forge a partnership with Tehran.

"We must not forget that Pakistan and Iran do not have very cordial relations. Iran accuses Islamabad of creating unrest in its eastern parts by training Jundullah, a terrorist organization responsible for several bomb attacks inside Iran. Therefore, it won't be easy for Islamabad to convince Tehran that their interests are the same," said Sulehria.

Sulehria was also of the opinion that Islamabad's engagement with Tehran would not go down well with the Sunni militant groups in Pakistan and its arch-ally Saudi Arabia, which oppose the Shi’ite Iran.

"Pakistan fears that western nations might impose sanctions on its nuclear program in the future. These, in my view, are precautionary measures undertaken by Islamabad to put pressure on the US," opined Sulehria.

He also believed that unlike Iran, which is rich in oil resources, Islamabad could not afford a protracted conflict with the international community and ultimately it would surrender to the pressure.

On the other hand, relations between Islamabad and Kabul also have not been exemplary. In the past, Afghanistan has accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of creating unrest and backing insurgency in Afghanistan.

Author: Shamil Shams (AFP, dpa)

Editor: Arun Chowdhury