1973 raid on the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan


The 1973 Iraqi embassy raid in Pakistan refers to the sudden armed infiltration and investigation conducted by Pakistan against the Iraqi embassy situated in Islamabad. The raid, led by the Pakistan Rangers and Islamabad Police was a response to Pakistani intelligence uncovering information detailing covert Iraqi involvement in the supplying of armaments to Baloch militants waging an insurgency against Iran and Pakistan. The raid was a success for Pakistani forces, and an abundance of weaponry from Iraq meant for Baloch insurgents was seized. Following the incident, the Iraqi ambassador and embassy staff were immediately expelled from Pakistan as personae non gratae. Iran-Iraq relations were already at a low point at this time and following this raid, tensions drastically increased between the two nations as Iran viewed it as a blatant attempt by Iraq to destabilize the Balochistan region in Iran. Likewise, Pakistan's already unfavourable view of Iraq had been brought down even more as tensions between the two nations increased in light of what was viewed by Pakistan as an attempt by Iraq to intrude in Pakistan's internal affairs and escalate the insurgency against government forces.

Background

Relations between Baloch separatists and Ba'athist Iraq had historical roots and were strong up until the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Iraq had begun to collaborate with the Soviet Union in launching a covert operation to provide military aid to Baloch insurgents operating in Pakistan and Iran. The aim of this operation was to destabilize the two countries by helping dissident Baloch rebels in their fight against the Iranian and Pakistani states that were close allies with the United States. The operation remained modestly successful during the early 1970s, but ultimately failed when there was unrest amongst the Baloch nationalist leaders involved in the insurgency due to internal disputes. This disorder accompanied by an extremely tough crackdown by the Pakistan Army in its Balochistan province crippled the joint Iraqi-Soviet attempts to destabilize the two key U.S. allies in the region and pave the way for Iraq's dominance over Iran as well as more favourable circumstances for India against Pakistan, with the goal of the region completely falling under the Soviet sphere of influence. The disputes took place when Baloch politicians Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo and Ataullah Mengal of the National Awami Party refused to accept the demands of Akbar Bugti to establish himself as the Governor of the Pakistani Province of Balochistan.

Operation

At midnight on 9 February 1973, Akbar Bugti informed Pakistani authorities about a covert Soviet weapons shipment intended for Baloch insurgents that had been smuggled into the country with Iraqi assistance. He reported that the weapons were being kept at the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad. On 10 February 1973, Pakistani police and paramilitary forces began to prepare an operation to raid the Iraqi embassy. After a few hours of planning, a raid was conducted by the Pakistan Rangers, accompanied by the Islamabad Police to storm the embassy and seize any means of support for the rebels. The raid was a success, and Pakistani forces discovered 300 Soviet-made submachine guns with an excess of 50,000 rounds of ammunition and a large amount of funding intended for Baloch militants.

Aftermath

Following the raid, the Baloch nationalist leader Sher Mohammad Marri paid a formal visit to Baghdad. Newspapers widely reported that the Soviet arms were intended to be given to Baloch separatists in their fight against Pakistan and Iran to further fuel tensions between the dissident tribes against the two nations. Media outlets throughout Pakistan predicted that the discovery of these weapons would muster greater support for the government from other ethnic groups in the country. Supported by Iranian forces, Pakistan launched a large-scale military operation against Baloch rebels shortly after this incident. This counter-insurgency operation finally ended in 1977 after the insurgency/rebellion was largely crushed and left disheartened. Despite this setback, Iraq continued to undertake covert activities to empower Baloch nationalists and attempt to destabilize Pakistan and Iran. The culmination of tensions between Iran and Iraq would eventually reach an extreme point after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and subsequent Iran-Iraq War, in which Pakistan would provide the Iranians with covert support and inflict major losses on invading Iraqi forces.