Pakistan

Pondering the pipeline

Editorial June 25, 2010

The issue of the pipeline between Pakistan and Iran appears to be assuming growing dimensions. It has already come to dominate international diplomacy — with the issue again at the top of the agenda as the visiting UK foreign secretary William Hague met his Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad. During his talks with Shah Mahmood Qureshi Mr Hague concurred that the $7.6 billion pipeline, agreed on earlier this month with Iran, was essentially an internal matter for Pakistan. However he did not budge, despite efforts from Pakistan, on the idea that Britain backed EU sanctions against Iran as a means to put pressure on the nuclear-armed country. Mr Qureshi had warned new sanctions on the country could be counter-productive and lead to new problems.

Behind the pleasantries of diplomacy, the handshakes, the smiles and the carefully couched dialogue, a bigger issue however looms. While Mr Hague and before him Mr Holbrooke both say the pipeline is an internal matter, we all know that in reality Islamabad is under much pressure to wriggle out of the deal. It is currently attempting to find some means to throw off the pressure piled on to its aching back. Can it do so? We can only wonder.

The fact is that the recent flurry over the pipeline – essential in the eyes of many experts to meeting our energy needs – has left many in the country pondering deep issues. The key one of course is that of Pakistan’s sovereignty and its ability to make decisions for itself and its people. This ability has been undoubtedly compromised by the fact that Islamabad is, at present, deeply dependent on Washington, in terms of politics and economics. For its leaders, the pipeline problem presents an interesting quandary. It has become a kind of test case to see if Islamabad has the tools required to put forward its own case strongly enough and assert its own will over that of its allies as far as the pipeline goes, on the basis of its own needs and the welfare of its people.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (2)

Sultan Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply What is the meaning of friendship? be sure still not understand, inside outside, We are ready to assist our friend who is a front line ally against war of terror but with condition there must be no bargaining with neighbor on power and on gas , no need to see others, look we are here,. On the other hand in open air, Pakistan is a independent state, we need no interference in its internal matter, Pakistan is sovereign state and has right in making relation with any country it is free in trade and other matters, hypocrisy ,hypocrisy,hypocrisy.

Dr. Imran Khaled | 13 years ago | Reply In the course of past ten years, Pakistan has become essentially a client state serving the interests of western corporate capitalism and their political ambitions. The fact of the matter is when Pakistan has come to inches of dying from energy starvation, the ever friendly Iran offered Pakistan cheap gas and electricity. The elected leaders had no choice but to accept the deal since otherwise they would have suffered the wrath of the people. Faced with this US and EU have essentially chosen to keep their pressures on Pakistan hidden from the view of Pakistani public despite knowing the reality that if the Iran Pakistan energy projects do not take hold, people of Pakistan will suffer enormously due to lack of energy and its sky rocketing prices. The other dimension of this gigantic project so vital to industrial interests of Pakistan is that these same powers who want to stop the project have now chosen non-diplomatic ways to stop it. From threatening to cut aid and loans and even creating mischief and terrorism. Recently, the anti-Pakistan and anti-Iran Baluch elements with barbaric militant tendencies have cropped up in the same lands which are to become the conduits of energy for Pakistan. These evil elements working on the agenda of dark powers want to cut Pakistan's carotid by destabilizing the region and making the pipe line and electricity transmission lines vulnerable to terrorism. Pakistan should rise up to such challenges and neutralize them before they take any political root and before thus becoming another Taliban. Pakistan can not afford to remain energy starved in this century. This project is of vital interest to the Pakistan's industrialization drive and the prosperity of people, since without energy there is no industry and without industrialization there is always going to be massive poverty and subsequent dependence on western countries for their hand outs.

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