Pipeline enigma

It's gunboat diplomacy for Pakistan on the part of the United States when it comes to dealing with Iran. The selective bias of Washington to implement sanctions against the Islamic Republic and also hamper any of the other bilateral projects in the region is nothing but bullying. The multi-billion dollar Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is a victim of such a policy and has scuttled Pakistan's genuine energy needs at a time when its economy is in stagnation.

Islamabad too has been at a fail in asserting itself, and its stance to persuade the superpower has fallen on deaf ears. The dichotomy is that India, Russia and a host of other states are off the hook when it comes to dealing with Tehran, and the American sanctions do not get to bite them unlike in the case of Pakistan.

Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, took a firm stance as he warned Pakistan regarding its involvement in the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project. At the same time, there was a carrot for Islamabad as Washington pledged the former to help with its energy challenges. This is untenable and is a mockery of ground realities, to say the least.

The once trilateral $7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline withered in thin air as Delhi walked away from it, and Islamabad is yet to complete an 80km pipeline from Gwadar to the Iranian border. Tehran on its part has invested more than $2 billion and has brought the energy pipeline at the mouth of Pakistan, only to rust it beneath the dirt. This piece of Machiavellian realpolitik is leading to severe geo-economic crisis in the region, and Pakistan is on the receiving end.

Pakistan is in a fix on both the fronts. While it is unable to overcome American odds, it also faces international litigation as Iran has slapped it with a final notice to finish its part of the pipeline or pay a fine of more $18 billion. With economic penalties on either fronts, it's time for Islamabad to stand tall and address its sovereign needs with an upfront face. Time to take a call.