Reconnecting with Iran

26 February 2024

Published in: The Express Tribune

Pakistan did some great auto-correction by deciding to revive the gas pipeline project with Iran. It not only exhibited its farsightedness to avoid an impending penalty to the tune of $20 billion by the year-end, but also made a categorical choice that it is aware of its geo-energy mosaic and going ahead with the pending international deal is indispensable. Thus, the decision to resume work on the 80km first phase of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project could not have come at a more opportune moment, as bilateral ties were in cold storage since the border skirmishes between the two countries, and Islamabad’s eagerness to overcome its energy storage was awaiting a decisive judgment.

While Iran had already completed its part of pipeline connectivity, and was sitting at the mouth of Pakistan’s territory, the linkage up to Gwadar is, indeed, a blessing in disguise. It will not only come to solidify the geo-economic potential of the region, but also make the strategic port a viable destination for international maritime connectivity. More as bonanza is the fact that Pakistan’s reliance on import of expensive gas through vessels will be better managed to overcome domestic shortages. It is, moreover, a good omen that the gas project is coming full circle, and with the exit of New Delhi from the project, Tehran and Islamabad are once again connecting the dots by browbeating the pressure of international sanctions.

This new initiative comes as a compliment to the dispensation in Islamabad that made strides to not only reach out to Washington asking it for a plausible waiver from sanctions, but also going ahead by exhibiting its sovereignty to tap the regional potential. Iran-Pakistan pipeline diplomacy is a win-win equation, and should not have been kept in limbo for all these years. If India, and its likes, can go ahead with economic ventures with Russia and other sanctioned states for their domestic vitality, why can’t Pakistan? Moreover, with Tehran complying with the IAEA, the neo-colonial pressure tactics are unacceptable under any canons of International Law. The breakthrough must solicit a thumbs-up.