Can Pakistan unite Muslim countries in Israel-Iran War? Will India reach out to Tehran to checkmate Islamabad?

Giving a communal twist to the ongoing Iran-Israel War, can Pakistan join hands with Turkey to unite the Muslim countries in the name of Ummah or the whole community of Muslims bound together by ties of religion? Can it use this trick to put geopolitical pressure on India and blackmail it in any future escalation of tension or on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir? These questions surfaced after a senior  military commander and member of Iran's National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei claimed that Pakistan had assured the Shiite nation to attack Israel with a nuclear bomb if Israel used a nuclear bomb on Iran. Though Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif was quick to deny it, the recent bonhomie between Islamabad, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Bangladesh has raised fingers. 

Can Pakistan unite Ummah?

Pakistan has used the bogey of Jammu and Kashmir in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) besides trying to mobilise Muslim member states of the UN in the name of Ummah. Though it has failed almost every time, Islamabad can use the issues of "fight against Zionism" and "Islam in danger" in the Iran-Israel War. Experts do not rule out the covert Pakistan help to Iran in its pursuit for the nuclear bomb. It also should be kept in mind that Islamabad has always defended its own nuclear programme as "Islamic bomb".  

Can Muslims countries join hands?

However, experts believe, in the changed strategic-political scenario, it is almost impossible to unite the Muslim countries in the name of Islamic world or Ummah. They can not be united even in the name of "fight against Zionism" and "Islam in danger" because each of them prioritise its own interests. It became evident when the Abraham Accords were signed. According to the US-brokered accords, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco signed separate treaties with Israel, recognizing it and normalizing the relations with the Jewish state. 

Fallacies within Ummah!

The fallacies in the concept of the Ummah were exposed by the Iran-Iraq War and the estranged relations between Saudi Arabia and Tehran. It is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who wants to forge this unity in an attempt to be the leader of the Ummah or the modern-day Caliph. Analysts believe, Pakistan wants to take a piggyback ride so that it can use the Ummah to blackmail India. 

Why are Muslim countries upset with India?

Many Muslim countries are upset with the treatment of Muslims, the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens and the rise of Hindutva and majoritarianism in India. Pakistan wants to exploit the situation for its own strategic needs. The way Turkey and Azerbaijan joined hands with Islamabad in the recent clashes with India has raised the alarm bell. Should India chalk out its own strategy to checkmate Pakistan's design by seeking help from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Malaysia? Should India stop backing Israel and reach out to Iran and mend its own domestic policies?