The energy crisis in the country seems to be deteriorating with each passing day. The gas crisis that confronts this nation is no less serious. In fact, it is as alarming as the electricity crisis. The measures that are being taken by those at the helm of affairs in the government, to deal with this grave problem, are grossly insufficient. That is why the situation vis-à-vis the issue under reference continues to be alarming. A possible solution, in sight, to overcome the gas crisis is purchasing gas from neighbouring Iran.
Pakistan and Iran signed the Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) in June 2009. The Government of Pakistan has already made an assessment that natural gas imported from Iran would provide the cheapest and perhaps the most suitable fuel for power generation. It has been estimated that 750 mmcfd gas would help generate around 4,000 MW of electricity.
Moreover, this would also help create significant employment opportunities in the backward areas of Balochistan and Sindh. 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. Pakistan, on its part, is planning to complete its segment of the pipeline by the end of 2014. However, a bottleneck that seems to seriously impede the pace of work on the project is the rapidly deteriorating US-Iran and stalled US-Pakistan relations.
The US pressure on Pakistan to forego the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project must be viewed in the context of the foregoing situation. Its real purpose is to build up pressure on Iran more than anything else. But if we give in to the US demand, it would have serious (negative) consequences for Pakistan, which is facing serious energy crisis because of electricity and gas shortages.
Also, from the economic point of view, it seems appropriate for Pakistan to complete the Iran-Pakistan pipeline project as early as possible to meet its fast-growing energy requirements. The alternate project that would bring gas through pipeline from Turkmenistan (TAPI) doesn’t seem to see the light of completion, in the near future, because of the continuing armed conflict in Afghanistan.
M FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad
