Pakistan to follow UN, not US sanctions: PM

Though barely a month old, the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project has elicited yet another sudden change of heart – this time on the part of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who, on Tuesday, stated that Pakistan was not bound to follow any restrictions to be placed on Iran by the US administration.

The statement came less than 24 hours after the premier, talking about the fate of the gas pipeline, stated that Pakistan would abide by any US sanctions placed on its western neighbour.

Tuesday’s statement, which was delivered at a luncheon for parliamentarians hosted by the premier, adopted the tone of a clarification on the part of the prime minister, who said that, while Pakistan was not bound by US sanctions, Islamabad would consider implementing restrictions put in place by the United Nations under its international obligations.

“As far as the US is concerned, we are not bound to follow these (sanctions), but if these are put in place by the United Nations, we will consider these under the obligation of international laws,” Gilani said.

The UN, it should be noted, has already adopted a resolution, pushed by the US, to tighten sanctions against Tehran after the regime was charged with refusing to adhere to strict international oversight of its secretive enrichment programme. Reports suggest that the prime minister had come under intense pressure from political opposition and civil society after making his apparently pro-US statement during a speech at Garhi Khuda Bux. Observers believe that the fear of more public backlash might be behind the semantic clarification of his statement on Monday, which, he said, was ‘misunderstood and misreported’ by the media.

The fate of the pipeline has seen several twists and turns – including from Washington itself.

Special US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke during his meetings with Pakistan’s leadership had initially shrugged off any opposition from Washington on the issue – only to caution Islamabad less than a day later against going ahead with the $7 billion gas import deal, saying any US sanctions on Iran might trouble its relations with Washington.

Holbrooke said that the gas import agreement Pakistan and Iran signed recently could anger the White House.

Meanwhile, the prime minister at the luncheon hosted for parliamentarians also said that the government has good ties with the opposition, the media and all other pillars of the state, and believed that the country can progress and move forward by adhering to the policy of reconciliation and consensus.

He recalled that the government responded forcefully when its writ was challenged by extremists in Swat and Malakand, adding that efforts were on to maintain the pace of national progress.

Gilani said his government was committed to address the issues of law and order, terrorism, unemployment and poverty by allocating more resources to the problems.

“We have to inevitably take tough decisions, and positive results were coming,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2010.