Opinion The great Game Folio

This year it is Iran’s turn to leverage the Nowruz for its own regional diplomacy. Last week,Iran hosted the first ever World Nowruz Festival in Tehran by inviting the leaders of its neighbouring countries.

Nowruz,which means “new day” in Farsi,is a spring festival of Persian origin that begins on March 21,the vernal equinox in the solar calendar. Nowruz celebrations predate Islam and originated about 3,000 years ago when Zoroastrianism dominated the spiritual landscape of Persia and its neighbourhood.

Hardline Islamists have tended to frown upon the pagan elements of the Nowruz festivities,but have been unable to force the Iranian and Central Asian Muslims to discard it. When the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan during 1997-2001,it had banned Nowruz celebrations.

That Tehran’s Islamic Republic has chosen to make a big deal of Nowruz suggests Iran is keen to build on the strong Persian civilisational links that bind it to its neighbours.

Speaking at the celebrations,which Iran now plans to organise every year,the Supreme Leader of Iran,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei underlined the cultural nature of the festivities and the opportunities it provides for regional cooperation. These Nowruz celebrations expand on the trilateral summitry of Persian-speaking nations,under which the Iranian,Tajik and Afghan leaders have been meeting annually over the last three years.

The Nowruz event was attended by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani,Tajik President Emomali Rahmon,Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow,Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek attended the Tehran celebrations. Azerbaijan was represented by Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna,could not make it to the Nowruz festivities this time. India which shares so much of Persian culture will,hopefully,not miss it the next time around.

Karzai’s play

Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s frequent contacts with the Iranian leadership is raising eyebrows in Washington. Two days before President Obama breezed through Kabul,Karzai was in Tehran to join the Nowruz celebrations.

Earlier this month,Karzai hosted the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his second visit to Kabul. Ahmadinejad did not miss the opportunity to lambast the United States and its policies. With Karzai standing next to him at the press conference in Kabul,Ahmadinejad hit back at a hostile US reporter by asking him a counter question: “Your country is located on the other side of the world so what are you doing here?”

Karzai’s outreach to Tehran comes amidst the growing gulf between him and the Obama administration. The more insult Washington throws at Karzai,the greater the incentive for the Afghan president to reach out to all those who are opposed to the United States. The New York Times reported in its Tuesday edition that Karzai has begun to deliberately signal distance between himself and Washington,and presenting himself as the only leader who can limit American dominance over Afghanistan.

The Americans might be making a big mistake if they underestimate the intelligence and survival skills of Afghan rulers. When the Soviet troops started leaving Afghanistan in 1988,few in the West expected that the Russian-backed President Najibullah would last. Najibullah surprised every one by holding on to power for three more years.

Kayani’s costs

As Karzai begins to step back from the American embrace,Pakistan’s army chief,Ashfaq Kayani is adding up the benefits of being serenaded in Washington last week. The GHQ in Rawalpindi,however,can’t be unaware of the costs of drawing too close to the US. If Kayani really cooperates with the United States in taking on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network,the extremist groups are certain to step up the efforts to destabilise Pakistan.

If Kayani is seen as acting on America’s behest,many friends of Pakistan in the region,including those in Beijing and Tehran,would want to think through the implications for their own interests. Put simply,Kayani’s Washington visit might have begun to limit the Pakistan Army’s options of playing all sides of the game in Afghanistan.

express@expressindia.com