Iran Meddles Again among Pakistani Shiites

A top Iranian religious figure has called on the Shiite minority in Pakistan to “stay united” and remain active and influential in society. Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, who is the head of the Iranian-controlled Ahl-ul Bayt – a Shiite-centric religious propaganda arm of the Iranian state – said that Iran “has no problems with majority of the Sunnis” but that its “fundamental conflict is with Wahhabis.”

Comment:

The Iranian state each year spends significant amount of financial resources to host non-Iranian Shiite from countries such as Pakistan, India and elsewhere. The aim is to indoctrinate these Shiite in the militant teachings that Tehran is seeking to propagate. In the case of Pakistani Shiite, Iran has a long track record in both spreading its ideological agenda but also providing arms and finances that have led to sectarian tensions among Pakistan’s Sunni majority and Shiite minority.