Mahnoor Ansar

ISLAMABAD: “Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline project is crucial for South Asian energy security and the regional attempts of diversification”, said Muhammad Soroush, a prominent Tehran-based analyst at a seminar organized by the Institute of Regional Studies on the Iran Pakistan gas pipeline.

Earlier, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President IRS, noted in his opening remarks that both Pakistan and Iran had much potential for furthering economic cooperation given their economic size and shared borders. While energy pipelines were much cheaper than shipping, and utilizing gas as a source of energy was significantly less polluting  than oil, the US sanctions on Iran posed a serious challenge.

Muhammad Soroush, who also heads “Saramad” think tank based in Tehran, hailed IP gas pipeline as a game changer for the region. Noting  that Iran had completed the construction of pipeline on its side but due to financial constraints, Pakistan was unable to start working on its part, Soroush felt  that this energy project could make Iran a crucial player in South Asian energy landscape.

Naade Ali, a Washington-based researcher at Middle East Institute, opined that the US viewed energy cooperation between Pakistan and Iran as a prelude to a strategic partnership. To address this perception Pakistan needed to separate geoeconomics from geopolitics. Explaining US sanctions relief to India, Naade pointed out India’s assurances to the US that its presence in the Chahbahar port would keep Iranian activities in check.

Dr Khalid Waleed, anprominent energy expert at SDPI, addressed the issue of a non-productive energy sector. He felt that the energy policy of Pakistan must prioritize the industrial growth while noting that energy shipping lanes were prone to shocks arising from the geopolitical conflicts and therefore, pipelines were a viable alternative. He also suggested that China’s coal-fired power plant projects under CPEC could be transformed into Iran-Pakistan-China gas energy project.

Dr Somaye Morovati, Director South Asian Studies at Center for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, stressed upon the need for cooperation between the think tanks of both the countries. She argued that the researchers of both Pakistan and Iran had a very basic knowledge of each other’s governance system. She also emphasised cooperation between Pakistan and Iran in energy and economic corridors as a counterweight to US Indo Pacific Strategy which while aimed at containing China also impacted Pakistan and Iran.