Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's Pakistan visit has again triggered debate around Iran-Pakistan Pipeline, and experts say the two issues topmost on his mind that he will want to discuss with President Asif Ali Zardari, will be border security and the gas project.
“This visit comes at the most troubling time for the region,” said Senator Mushaid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Islamabad-based Pakistan-China Institute, pointing to the Middle East crisis and the resurgence of terrorism from Afghanistan, which borders both Pakistan and Iran.
The gas pipeline will be an uneasy conversation to hold for Zardari, but with the lives and livelihoods of over 240 million Pakistanis tied to this fuel, finding a solution is of paramount importance for the rulers.
Pakistan needs gas more for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes now than for power generation, said energy expert Vaqar Zakaria, heading the Islamabad-based Hagler Bailley Pakistan, an environment consultancy company.
“Domestic consumers will be the immediate beneficiaries from the Iranian gas supply,” agreed leading sustainable development practitioner Abid Suleri, heading the Islamabad-based Sustainable Development Policy Institute. He also said the country’s economy will flourish manifold if the industry receives a steady supply of this gas.
