No yielding on matters of sovereignty
The US continues to remind Pakistan ad nauseam of the aid it has given the country and the consequences for Islamabad if it acted against US wishes. The timing of the new Chairman Foreign Relations Committee’s arrival in Pakistan and his reiteration of what his country was doing to help Pakistan in energy sector indicated that if Pakistan persisted in the pursuit of gas pipeline from Iran, it would have to forgo US aid and face sanctions. This is what Victoria Nuland’s statement issued the next day implied. If there were still any doubts they were removed by the WSJ story on Thursday. There are generally two types of reactions to reminders of the sort, rightly seen as implied threats. The government routinely reiterates the contribution the country has made in the war on terror. The Pakistani public, however, widely resents statements of the sort. This explains why despite millions of dollars poured into Pakistan, mostly when dictators ruled with the US’ help, anti-US sentiment has continued to rise. Any demand that requires Islamabad to follow a prescribed course in internal or foreign affairs, even if it goes against Pakistan’s national interests, is bound to be widely unpopular. Any government seen to be acting as a US client would lose the goodwill of the masses. Aid used as an instrument to impose hegemony must be rejected by Pakistan.
Pakistan receives aid from a number of countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and China. None uses it so brazenly as a lever. China’s popularity in Pakistan is due to its cultured handling of relations with the government and the people. Beijing has invariably stressed that the projects it has helped to construct are mutually beneficial to the both the countries. Washington’s offensive diplomacy on the other hand could harm relations between the two countries at a crucial juncture when both need to fight terrorism together.
It is in Pakistan’s national interest to urgently import gas from wherever it can. The time factor is important as power shortages have taken toll on the country’s economy. While Pakistan is keen to bring gas and electricity from Central Asia, it simply cannot wait for years for the situation in Afghanistan to improve. It cannot allow its national interests to be sacrificed at the altar of US strategic needs. There is a cross party consensus in Pakistan on putting an end to dependence on the aid. The government has to go ahead to fulfil Pakistan’s energy needs from Iran irrespective of whether this pleases the US or not. The Pak-Iran gas pipeline should be constructed at top speed. Iran-financed oil refinery must be given a go ahead. Pakistan must not yield on matters of its sovereignty.
