By Sarah Khan
After signing of Iran-US/ West nuclear deal on 14 July 2015, many analysts have opined that regional cooperation in energy and trade with Iran will increase manifold. Tariq Fatemi, the Prime Minister’s special adviser on foreign affairs, told a think-tank in Washington last week that Pakistan welcomed the deal because it would open the doors for economic cooperation with Iran, including the construction of a pipeline to bring natural gas for the energy-starved country. However, on 03 August 2015, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the lifting of sanctions for commercial deals with Iran had not started yet. He added, “We don’t consider Iran open for business yet, and there’s no new sanctions relief beyond the very limited relief under the joint plan of action that’s been in place since January 2014. When Iran meets its key nuclear steps and we get to implementation day, then there will be commensurate relief of nuclear-related sanctions.”
US/ West have compromised on Iran's nuclear programme by accepting its right to enrich uranium for their own vested interests and also announced to lift sanctions which serve their interests. But when it comes to Pakistan, State Department has announced that sanctions remains in place. This is very unfair on part of US. After the signing of deal, so many countries have shown their interest in enhancing trade and energy related ties with Iran. Pakistan should also move ahead on the gas pipeline project which is badly needed for an energy starved country.
Moreover, it has also been noted that US State Department never forgets to mention Mumbai attack and Indian concerns vis-a-vis Pakistan. On the contrary, US state department has never even mentioned RAW's involvement in terrorist incidents inside Pakistan, its links with MQM and its role in Afghanistan to undermine peace and reconciliation led by Pakistan. Hence, Pakistan government should not compromise on issues of national interest and wait for ‘go ahead” signal from US/ West to commence work on Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. The project should be initiated without any further delay as recommended by many renowned scholars and analysts of Pakistan.
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