In 1965, when the environment was tense due to the war with India, and conditions were extremely strained, Iran, which has always leaned towards India in comparison to Pakistan, was also strongly opposed to Pakistan.
In such a dreadful situation, with the fear of being caught between a war with India on one side and an attack from Iran on the other, President Ayub Khan, at the time, sent his Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Iran. Bhutto, who had family ties with Iranians, was instructed by Ayub Khan to go to Shah of Iran and persuade him however he could to refrain from attacking Pakistan and to avoid any aggression from Iran against Pakistan.
Bhutto went to Iran and discussed with the Shah of Iran. The Shah stated two conditions: first, regarding Saindak, an area in Balochistan rich in copper and precious minerals, Iran had a significant share of resources there, and Iran marked it as theirs. Bhutto accepted this condition.
The second condition was agreed upon by Bhutto and the Shah of Iran.
Pakistan couldn’t extract oil from within its borders near the border with Iran in Balochistan, and Iran, similarly, couldn’t extract oil from within its Balochistan near the border with Pakistan.
Bhutto also accepted this condition, and a treaty was signed for 30 years that Pakistan would not extract oil from its Balochistan for 30 years.
Iran could extract oil near the border with Pakistan, and the oil deal worked in such a way that when oil was extracted from one place, it naturally flowed towards that direction.
So, it seemed like Iran had started extracting oil. Pakistan’s oil flowed towards Iran beneath its soil, and Iran extracted that oil, which was cheaper.
Many people in Pakistan ask why Pakistan doesn’t buy cheap oil from Iran, the same oil that is smuggled into Pakistan, as we often see videos and pictures of it on social media.
This treaty lasted for 30 years. Then, in the next 30 years, no Iranian head of state visited Pakistan. In 1995, during this period, the Iranian President at the time, Hashemi Rafsanjani, visited Pakistan.
At that time, Pakistan’s Prime Minister was Benazir Bhutto, who had strong ties with Iranians. She reaffirmed the treaty for another 30 years with the Iranians.
Now, these 30 years of the treaty are nearing completion in 2025, so fundamentally, Iran’s President was supposed to visit Pakistan in 2025.
But they came a year earlier because these days, Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Benazir Bhutto, is in power as the President, and a prominent figure of Pakistan, the Interior Minister, is also Iranian-born.
Taking advantage of these circumstances, they visited Pakistan, and efforts will be made to further advance this treaty.
I urge the patriotic people of Pakistan that this treaty should not be further reinforced. We should not proceed with it. We can extract our own oil. We need it.
We buy expensive oil from abroad, while our oil is being extracted by Iran for free, and they sell it back to us after smuggling it. And they profit from it. Pakistan is suffering from an economic crisis. This oil can help sustain our economy.
Therefore, the influential circles of Pakistan and patriotic people should pay special attention to this.
