The visit of the Iranian President to Pakistan has revealed that Pakistan has been unsuccessful in lobbying both with America on the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project and with Iran on obtaining its support over the issue of occupied Kashmir. It is yet to be seen how Pakistan will succeed in both of these areas and what steps it will take to accomplish its goals.
Pakistan looks being sandwiched between Iran and America over this gas pipeline project as the former threatens to get Pakistan penalized over its failure to complete this project and America is waiting to sanction Pakistan if any substantial development occurs in this regard. Both America and Iran claim themselves as friends of Pakistan, yet Pakistan is unable to differentiate between friends and opportunists.
Today marks the second day of the Iranian president’s visit to Pakistan. He has visited Lahore and Karachi. The official tour will conclude on Wednesday, April 24, but as of yet, there has been no news regarding the gas pipeline project between the two countries. The second day of the Iranian president’s visit to Pakistan began after he landed in Lahore and later went to Karachi. Both cities are the provincial capitals of Punjab and Sindh respectively and are also the main pockets of the Shia community in Pakistan.
Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Pakistan for an official three-day visit on Monday, April 22. During his visit to the Islamabad, he met with the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and the Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir. He discussed regional stability, border security, and ways to increase bilateral trade volume by 10 billion US Dollars in the next five years. The two countries have also signed eight agreements and Memorandums to promote cooperation in various fields.
This visit is significant for mending ties between Islamabad and Tehran earlier stained by cross-border missile strikes by both countries. On the other hand, it was also perceived as important about its expected agenda on the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline project, but nothing significant in this regard so far was reported to be said both by the guest and the host.
Similarly, the Iranian president was observed to be more focused on Gaza while narrowly escaping the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir as he was addressing a joint ceremony with the Prime Minister of Pakistan. However, this visit of the Iranian president has left a question among the Pakistani people as to how the government will address both of these issues in the times to come as their vitality is out of question.
It is important to note that the supply of gas from Iran to Pakistan is a matter of death and life for the nation. Both Iran and Pakistan stepped in to build a gas pipeline more than three decades before. Both of these countries reached an agreement on the sale and purchase of gas in 2009 and this agreement was also signed. As per the agreement, the Iran South Pars Field was to supply up to one billion cubic feet of gas to Pakistan daily. In this regard, the inaugural ceremony was held at the border between these two countries in 2013. Pakistan was required to start the construction of the pipeline within its territory while Iran reportedly started work on its side in 2010. Now Iran claims that it has completed construction of 900 kilometers of the pipeline in Iran by 2011 in this regard and Pakistan has not yet started. Pakistan reportedly has not started work fearing American sanctions for importing gas from its brother country -Iran.
On the other hand, Iran to its brother country – Pakistan – gave a final deadline of March 2024, which already has exceeded one month now, threatening to start litigation against Pakistan. Iran threatened Pakistan to face nearly 18 billion US Dollars in damages after this warning was over. Now important is that the total cost of this project is dollars seven billion in total. Now see the difference between the actual cost of the project and the amount of damages that Iran has announced to claim against Pakistan in this regard.
Following to avoid penalties, Pakistan’s outgoing caretaker government approved the construction of this pipeline in Pakistan which is about 80 kilometers. However, it is very interesting that Pakistan never spoke to America right from the date this initiative was taken even though American policy clearly states that whoever is the enemy of America will also be the enemy of its friends. To what level America is the enemy of Iran, is not something concealed even from Pakistan. After Pakistan announced the construction of this pipeline in Pakistan before Mr. Ebrahim Raisi reached here on a visit, American top officials started giving statements against this project stating that America was closely monitoring this project.
It is interesting to see how the Pakistani government is addressing the issue of building a pipeline to import natural gas from Iran, which has been subject to sanctions by the USA. The Federal Minister for Energy and Water Resources, Dr Musadik Malik, has stated that the Pakistan government will seek a waiver from the USA over this project, while the Foreign Office of Pakistan has recently stated that it does not need a waiver from the USA to build its portion of the pipeline, as it is being built within Pakistani territory.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Region, Donald Lu, has reportedly said that the USA is monitoring the planned pipeline and that it would not be easy for Pakistan to arrange funds for the project. Lu also stated that the USA is working with Pakistan to explore other sources of energy, including environmentally friendly options.
As for the Indian-occupied Kashmir is concerned, it is worth mentioning here that the Iranian stance on the Kashmir issue has always been cautious after the secular regime in Iran, as it has to balance its ties with both India and Pakistan. Historically, Iran had been a strong supporter of Pakistan over the disputes with India, including the Kashmir issue during the Raza Shah Pahlavi regime. However, with the Islamic Revolution, Iran shifted its foreign policy and preferred to avoid taking sides on the issue. The Iranian administration has always taken a more cautious approach to the issue of Kashmir by balancing its huge economic interest in India. It remains to be seen how Pakistan will engage Iran over this issue in the future.
Meanwhile, in Public’ opinion, it is also important for Pakistan to view what message America has sent to Pakistan after imposing a ban on Chinese companies after the US Navy seized allegedly Iranian-made missile parts and other weapons bound for Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in a raid last week. The vessel was seized near the coast of Somalia in international waters of the Arabian Sea allegedly carrying Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missile components, including propulsion, guidance, and warheads. This is important, particularly given how the USA is taking the Iranian president’s visit to Pakistan.
(Senior journalist Rana Kashif is author of this opinion piece)
