The US Ambassador Cameron Munter has suggested that Pakistan should prefer TAPI pipeline over the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. And although he admitted that the IP pipeline would benefit us in the short term, he followed it up by saying that the project was not in our interest, as Iran was an unreliable partner. With that Ambassador Munter also stated that this advice of the US should not be misconstrued as dictation.
As a friend of Pakistan, he knows well that our energy needs at this point in time are dire. Already the economy has been badly affected owing to the increasing demand and supply gap. If our energy demands are not met within time, our economy will further receive destructive blows. Yet his advice is that we should not go for the project. Also it would be in his knowledge that TAPI gas pipeline, while ideal on the map is totally fanciful when it comes to its construction. Big energy cartels have in the past expressed serious reservations against the project over reasons of civil strife and unrest in Afghanistan. On the other hand, IP pipeline is much better than TAPI. Indeed, it will provide us gas at cheaper rates and Iran’s energy rich reserves will ensure an uninterrupted supply for ages to come. Unlike TAPI, there is no area along its route where war is going on. Yet another point is that 90 percent work on the project inside Iran has already been completed and it is only in Pakistan where its construction remains to be taken up. Why should Pakistan abandon this project at this stage and instead go for TAPI that would take several years to complete and even then would be at the mercy of insurgents in Afghanistan. Also Ambassador Munter’s argument that Iran was not a reliable partner is not valid. The US has its own conflict with Iran and it doesn’t mean Iran would always act likewise with every other country. There is a flaw of logic in this argument.
The pity is that the US is discouraging us from a project that can quickly provide relief to the economy. The PPP government should disregard this piece of advice and must try to complete the construction work on this side of the border in quickest time possible. We should not ruin our relation with a brotherly Muslim country just because the US has differences with it.
As a friend of Pakistan, he knows well that our energy needs at this point in time are dire. Already the economy has been badly affected owing to the increasing demand and supply gap. If our energy demands are not met within time, our economy will further receive destructive blows. Yet his advice is that we should not go for the project. Also it would be in his knowledge that TAPI gas pipeline, while ideal on the map is totally fanciful when it comes to its construction. Big energy cartels have in the past expressed serious reservations against the project over reasons of civil strife and unrest in Afghanistan. On the other hand, IP pipeline is much better than TAPI. Indeed, it will provide us gas at cheaper rates and Iran’s energy rich reserves will ensure an uninterrupted supply for ages to come. Unlike TAPI, there is no area along its route where war is going on. Yet another point is that 90 percent work on the project inside Iran has already been completed and it is only in Pakistan where its construction remains to be taken up. Why should Pakistan abandon this project at this stage and instead go for TAPI that would take several years to complete and even then would be at the mercy of insurgents in Afghanistan. Also Ambassador Munter’s argument that Iran was not a reliable partner is not valid. The US has its own conflict with Iran and it doesn’t mean Iran would always act likewise with every other country. There is a flaw of logic in this argument.
The pity is that the US is discouraging us from a project that can quickly provide relief to the economy. The PPP government should disregard this piece of advice and must try to complete the construction work on this side of the border in quickest time possible. We should not ruin our relation with a brotherly Muslim country just because the US has differences with it.
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