The sheer surprise over the exchange of missile and drone strikes by Iran and Pakistan last week has kept much of the international community uncertain about how best to make sense of these unprecedented events.
Both Tehran and Islamabad have shown such eagerness to prevent escalation and move on since then, including deciding to return their respective ambassadors, that it raises the question of just why these states – both of whom were reacting to persistent Baloch insurgencies – found themselves firing such expensive and attention-seeking weapons at each other in the first place.
A widespread line of speculation in local commentary has been that these tensions are closely tied to the instability spiralling outwards from Gaza since the war began on October 7.
In this telling, Jaish Al Adl, an Iran-based Sunni Baloch separatist group that claimed responsibility for an attack on local police last December, had been “activated” by external sponsors in their bid to pressure Tehran into standing down its proxies in the region. One reason for the theory’s popularity is Jaish Al Adl’s seeming lack of high-profile activity in recent years.
These easy assumptions are contradicted by facts visible to those on the ground.
Prolonging hostilities could mean having to fight each other, which would be far more expensive and unlikely to advance either country’s strategic objectives
Some experts in Pakistan had picked up on the steadily intensifying drumbeat of propaganda from Jaish Al Adl back in the autumn of 2022 – a full year before Hamas’s attacks – which signalled that the group was gearing up for major attacks. The intersection of Gaza and Balochistan is most likely not the wheels within wheels of someone’s grand masterplan, but instead the unplanned collisions of complex and unstable regions.
Jaish Al Adl is unique enough that it is best understood in its own context. Although the group’s language indicates a worldview built around a supremacist attitude towards sectarian identity, their messaging conveys deep hostility not only towards Iran, but also the Taliban and Pakistan for their willingness to co-operate with Tehran against the group.
Most notably, the Rigi brothers who led Jaish Al Adl’s parent group, Jundallah, were arrested by the Pakistani government in February 2010, and deported to Iran, where they were promptly executed. Similarly, members of Jaish Al Adl and Jundallah have been killed and arrested by Taliban factions that are said to receive funding from Iran. This is despite the fact that these separatist groups, like the Taliban, belong to the Deobandi movement and many within the movement were trained in Deobandi madrasas in Pakistan.
What Jaish Al Adl seems to hope for is co-operation with largely secular, but Sunni-heritage, militant groups, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Baluch People’s Liberation Front that are currently fighting Islamabad. These are the groups that the Pakistani military attempted to strike on Iranian soil in retaliation for Tehran’s own drone and missile strikes against Jaish Al Adl on Pakistani soil.
This brings up the question of why Iran chose to launch a military response to Jaish Al Adl that would embarrass and anger Pakistan. This is where the circumstances of the Israel-Gaza war almost certainly play a major role.
The Iranian state, and in particular the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have found themselves in a position that is highly ideologically and strategically embarrassing. A significant portion of Iran’s regional power comes from the perception that it will react in a forceful and unexpected manner to any attacks upon it and its proxies. And yet Tehran has stayed out of direct involvement in the fighting with Hamas and Hezbollah under heavy threat from the Biden administration.
Reacting in such a forceful way to Jaish Al Adl’s attack is intended to restore some of the IRGC’s image and its deterrent value. The IRGC was probably also keen to showcase not just its will, but some of its newer capabilities, specifically long-range precision strikes – once the unique preserve of the US – without putting its own people at direct risk. The Pakistan army and air force, for their part, appear to have had almost exactly the same calculus: demonstrate the will to defend their territory, show off new technology and avoid own losses.
Prolonging hostilities could mean actually having to fight each other, which would be far more expensive and unlikely to advance either country’s strategic objectives. Although revolutionary Iran and Pakistan have often found themselves on opposite sides of regional coalitions, both states have taken care to avoid an antagonistic relationship with each other. In fact, since 1992, Pakistan’s embassy in Washington has hosted what is called the Interests Section of Iran, the regime’s de facto consular representation in the US.
Does all of this mean that Iran and Pakistan will now fight Baloch insurgents together? Although that is exactly what happened in the 1970s during the Shah’s era, the prospects for such an alignment today are not high. For one thing, defeating or at least containing the Baloch insurgency is far more important to Pakistan’s security state than it is to Iran’s.
For another, the evolution of the current Middle East crisis is entirely unclear. As events intensify, this Iran-Pakistan episode will soon drop out of the news cycle, becoming little more than a footnote to its course. Tehran is unlikely to want to lose focus on the standoff with Israel, and Islamabad is likely to sound out its allies in the Arabian Peninsula before engaging closely with the IRGC.
But for the people of Balochistan, unhappy with the governments on both sides of the border, this moment will take on much greater significance as an opportunity to tell their story to anyone who is interested enough to listen.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
UAE%20SQUAD
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Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
