Nasim Ahmed

The Iran-Pakistan pipeline project is vital to Pakistan's energy and economic future. For Pakistan there is no politics involved in the venture. But the realities of power politics being what they are, it has become a victim of US strategic calculations in the region.

Washington has never made a secret of its displeasure over the project. The latest warning to come is from US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who has said that America has made it clear to Pakistan that if it goes ahead with the proposed Iran-Pakistan pipeline, it could face consequences as underlined in the Iran Sanctions Act. Clinton made the remark in response to Congressman Lewis asking her why the budget request for the State Department included a $1 billion request to help Pakistan address its energy problems.

Secretary Clinton said that the Turkmenistan pipeline was a better alternative, predictable and would avoid business with Iran and added that embarking on the construction of a Pak-Iran pipeline is in violation of the Iran Sanctions Act. She said, "We all know what the consequences of that law are."

The US Secretary of State added that this move would be particularly damaging for Pakistan because the country's economy is already shaky, and would further undermine Pakistan's economic status. She added menacingly: "As we are ratcheting up pressure on Iran, it seems somewhat inexplicable that Pakistan would be trying to negotiate a pipeline project with that country."

Earlier, US State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, said that Washington would not predict if the proposed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project would succeed but is aware that it had seen many "false starts" before. She said: "If, in fact, the pipeline does go forward - and there have been a lot of false starts and backing-and-fowarding on that - you know, we have issues of concern. And we've been very clear about those with the government of Pakistan.”

Pakistan has however refused to yield to the pressure being applied by Washington and underlined its determination to go ahead with the project. Talking to visiting Iranian Vice President, Ali Seediou President Zardari said recently that Pakistan is committed to the early completion of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project to meet the ever growing demand for energy and power in the country.

Last week, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, addressing a joint press conference with her Swedish counterpart, said that Pakistan was committed to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. She also laid to rest any doubts that a Chinese bank's decision to back off from funding the project would affect plans to import gas from Iran. She said: "There are multiple sources available and this is a very viable project."

Hina Rabbani Khar disclosed that in this connection a ministerial committee has been constituted for reviewing alternate options to arrange funds for the construction of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.
For Pakistan the IP gas pipeline project is its energy lifeline for the future as it will provide the cheapest and most suitable fuel for power generation. According to an estimate, 750 mmcfd of gas to be supplied by Iran would help generate around 4,000MW of electricity, besides providing job opportunities in the backward areas of Balochistan and Sindh.

According to plan, Pakistan is to lay a 781 km pipeline in its territory and the project would be completed by December 2014. The initial capacity of the pipeline would be 22 billion cubic meters of natural gas per annum, which is expected to later rise to 55 billion cubic meters. The pipeline aims to export 21.5 million cubic meters of Iranian natural gas to Pakistan every day or 8.7 billion cubic meters per year.

Iran has already laid the 56-inch diameter pipeline for a distance of 900 km from Assaluyeh to Iran Shehr. The remaining 200 km to bring the pipeline to the Pakistani border are likely to be completed in the next two years.
The stand that Islamabad has taken with regard to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline stems from the new orientation that Pakistan's foreign policy is being given under the present government. The whole gamut of Pak-US relations is under review at the moment by a parliamentary committee. The terms of re-engagement are being re-written so that bilateral relations can be put on an even keel. A comprehensive reconsideration of the coordinates of Pak-US relations was long overdue. All through the last six decades of building and maintaining its relations with the US, Pakistan has been at the receiving end. On more than one occasion, Washington ditched Pakistan in its moments of dire need.

The US cut off sensitive military and other supplies at crucial junctures in our history. Pakistan has also been a victim of US economic sanctions a number of times which caused severe damage to its economic and security interests.
Beginning with the Raymond Davis affair, the Abbotabad US navy SEAL raid, the Salala checkpost attack and a generally hostile attitude of the US political and defence establishment towards Pakistan in the context of the Afghan war have at last forced a review of the situation. But this is not an easy task to accomplish. We have been US-aid oriented for long and it will be tough building new sources of trade, aid and friendship in a rapidly globalizing world.
The original decision to enter into an umbilical tie with America to the neglect of our regional ties was a strategic mistake which should now be corrected. While we should continue our efforts to repair relations with Washington we need to develop a sharper regional focus and build ties of mutual trust with neighbouring states.

China is a long-term all-weather friend with whom we should further deepen our ties, specially in the economic sphere. We should also try to normalize our relations with India without compromising our principled stand on Kashmir. The grant of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India should open up new avenues of mutually beneficial trade relations. To the west, ties with Afghanistan needs to be more diligently and carefully nurtured. We have adopted the right approach in pushing for an Afghan owned and Afghan-led peace process. Russia in the north-west needs more attention than we have given it so far. In the new strategic game in the region, Moscow has a crucial role to play and Pakistan has much to gain by building closer political and economic ties with it.

Washington cannot dictate to us as it did in the past if we have a strong and dependable network of friendly neighbours. In the long-term perspective, the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline can prove to be the starting point of a new vision of peace and prosperity for the entire region.

Source: WEEKLY CUTTING EDGE