Pakistani governments succumbed to American pressure and delayed the vitally necessary project
KARACHI: This is with reference to the news report “No all-clear from US for IP gas pipeline project” (February 9). According to the US Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, “Pakistan is to determine and decide energy choices.” The remark was made with reference to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline — the construction of which has been lingering for years because of American sanctions against Iran. After the lifting of the sanctions, Pakistan is eager to get the project going since it is not only necessary to ease Pakistan’s gas and energy crisis, it is also a major project that can promote good relations between the neighbours, which in turn can have a healing effect on overall bilateral relations.
Until now, successive Pakistani governments have succumbed to American pressure and delayed the vitally necessary project. Now, Pakistan has to decide its priorities. Mr Elkind has been warning that not all sanctions have been lifted against Iran and other sanctions are still in place that would hinder the completion of the pipeline. This basically means that the project could again be left hanging in a limbo. He also said that the Russian company chosen by Pakistan to develop gas infrastructure in Pakistan was facing US sanctions.
In the face of this situation, with the US massively interfering in our energy policy, Pakistan has to make a choice of how to proceed in the energy sector and not land the nation in another black hole. The only reasonable choice is to forget about the US and proceed to strengthen ties — energy related, economic and political — with our neighbours and within the region, instead of succumbing to American pressures. Our newly developing energy cooperation with Iran and Russia that is accompanied by our new cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and other regional engagements, are much more important for Pakistan than the contentment of the US with our policy choices.
Ali Ashraf Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2016.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
