Evidently in response to this, the very next day, the prime minister reversed what he had said on this sensitive issue. Speaking at a lunch hosted by him for members of parliament, he said that Islamabad intended to abide by UN sanctions but not those that were coming from America. This practice has been followed consistently, as a part of Pakistan’s international commitments. It may indeed prove difficult to go ahead with the pipeline once the UN restrictions come in. The end result, whether US or UN sanctions are followed may not be all that different. The UN is too likely to impose new measures against Iran on the basis of its alleged possession of nuclear arms. The distinction in terms of public impact is however a fairly significant one. Pakistanis would object less fervently to UN sanctions as compared to US ones. However the link between the two has now been made by the PM; the UN too is reacting to US pressure. It will be hard to de-link this connection in the minds of people. What is even more important is that the government be seen as working for the interests of people, rather than following orders from Washington. The gas pipeline project would obviously bring many benefits.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2010.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ