Analysis: Nawaz's crucial visit to Iran

[niaz]

Sir, All i'm saying that an Anti Shia, close arab ally, personal friend of Saudi King when completed a successful visit of Iran is in itself an achievement, which your analysis fails to acknowledge remotely.

What one calls " Successful" is a matter of opinion. However I admit that my views don't mean much. Here is what Dawn says:

A fruitless visit
Editorial

BESIDES the reiteration of fraternal sentiments and an expression of wishes for closer ties, the prime minister’s two-day visit to Iran produced little of substance. The greatest disappointment was over the gas pipeline project. No joint statement was issued, and all that we have is the signing of eight memoranda of understanding on subjects such as the extradition of prisoners. The only reference to the gas pipeline was spiritual leader Ali Khamenei’s emphasis on going ahead with bilateral projects, including the pipeline. As was expected, the ayatollah minced no words, and blamed America and “other countries” for trying to create a rift between his country and Pakistan. That the ayatollah thought Pakistan had succumbed to US pressure was discernible when he asked Mr Nawaz Sharif not to wait for “permission” from other governments to encourage relations between Iran and Pakistan.

Conceived more than two decades ago, the gas pipeline has yet to see the light of day. Initially, the pipeline was to carry gas across Pakistan to India, but New Delhi pulled out of the project in 2009, delivering a blow from which the project has not yet recovered, even though energy-starved Pakistan needs gas desperately. In March 2013, the project aroused optimism when then presidents Asif Ali Zardari and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the construction of the Pakistani part of the pipeline. But again the project ran into difficulties, largely because Islamabad gave in to pressure. A new chapter appeared to be beginning in relations between the two neighbours when Mr Sharif declared after becoming prime minister in June 2013 that the project was on and was likely to be completed by the end of 2014. That has not happened, and as the outcome of his Iran visit shows, we should perhaps sing a requiem for the project.

Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to think of Iran-Pakistan relations solely in terms of the pipeline. As neighbours, the two countries have common concerns and need to deepen understanding on such issues as post-America Afghanistan, the change in the Middle East’s power equilibrium in the wake of the Tehran-Washington thaw, the strategic relations developing between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the Syrian civil war, terrorist groups’ activities on the borders, and bilateral trade, which has plummeted to $1bn because of US-led sanctions against Iran. Islamabad must assure Tehran that relations with no state will be at Iran’s expense, and that it will pursue a policy of non-interference in other countries’ affairs — a point emphasised by Mr Sharif when he recently addressed Pakistani envoys in the Middle East. This policy must be pursued in earnest and in a manner that satisfies Iran without jeopardising Pakistan’s ties with the Gulf monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia. The two governments must also think deeply about the kind of measures needed to increase bilateral trade.

A fruitless visit - Newspaper - DAWN.COM

 

[Tameem]

What one calls " Successful" is a matter of opinion. However I admit that my views don't mean much. Here is what Dawn says:

Pakistan, Iran narrowly salvage friendship

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Iran has produced positive results for both the countries during the disturbing regional situation. The visit not only proved beneficial for regional security but also for the improvement of country’s worsening economy.

One of Nawaz Sharif’s main achievements was to convince the Iranian government to waive a condition in the Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline agreement that binds Islamabad to pay a $200 million per month penalty in case of delaying the gas pipeline construction before the deadline of Dec. 31, 2014.

According to reports, Tehran has agreed on not imposing penalties on Islamabad for not meeting the deadline, but linked it with the earnestness shown by Pakistan towards completing the project which requires laying 781 kilometers in pipelines and infrastructure from Iranian border to Nawabshah, a city in the southern province of Sindh. Iran has already completed the laying down of 900 kilometers of pipelines of the IP Gas project but Pakistan has not initiated any work due to some international pressure.

Change the deadline
Tehran has also agreed to change the deadline of the project to help Islamabad. Iran asked Pakistan to start constructing the infrastructure for laying the pipeline so that Tehran could judge the earnestness on its part. According to reports, Tehran has also offered to bail out Islamabad in the shape of providing funds for the laying of the pipeline.

Pakistan and Iran have always been friends. Iran stood by Pakistan in the wars of 1965 and 1971 against India. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto once said Iranian aid to Pakistan was more than that provided by all the Gulf countries combined. Similarly, Pakistan helped out Iran during its war against Iraq.

But the bilateral friendship suffered following the dethroning of Reza Pahlavi Pahlavi and in the post-Iranian revolution era. Though the bilateral friendship remained, it lost its warmth due to some misunderstandings developed during the last two decades.
The misunderstandings reached to the extent in the last few months that Iran accused Pakistan of abducting its border guards and threatened to take direct action inside Pakistani territories. However, Islamabad kept its cool and avoided a tit-for-tat reply to keep the temperature from rising further. The issue was resolved after Iranian border guards were recovered from Iranian territories.

During his meeting with Nawaz Sharif, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned that border unrest between the two countries was an “enemy conspiracy” aimed at further damaging the bilateral friendship. Khamenei told Nawaz Sharif that certain countries, including the U.S., were conspiring against the Pakistan-Iran friendship and bilateral relations, and urged that both the countries should remain on guard against those conspiracies.

The most prominent of the outcomes of the visit was that during the discussion between Nawaz Sharif and Iranian leadership, both sides pledged to work jointly for regional peace and security, besides the bilateral harmony with a new impetus. Both the countries also signed eight agreements and MoUs aimed at promoting bilateral trade, extradition of criminals and establishing of joint border commission. The joint border commission is aimed at thwarting the enemy conspiracies in the garb of petty criminal activities on the borders.

Expanding bilateral trade
Both the countries also agreed upon expanding bilateral trade to mark of $5 billion, which is a good sign for both the economies. It is ironic that Pakistani textile and agricultural products reach Iran via other countries. If Islamabad could be able to export those directly to Tehran it would earn more profits for local traders and producers.

At present, the promotion of bilateral ties, trade and commerce, and the implementation of bilateral agreements and MoUs depend chiefly upon the completion and commissioning of the Iran-Pakistan Gas pipeline project. Besides, both countries are concerned for the imminent insecurity in the region attached with the proposed withdrawal of U.S. and NATO invading armies from Afghanistan following a twelve-year war that brought devastation to the entire South Asian region.

Concerned with its depleting natural gas resources, Pakistan urged the oil and gas rich Iran to provide her with natural gas from its gas reserves in Bunder Abbas, after a MoU was signed in mid-1990s. Later, India also joined in the gas pipeline project, making it an Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. But under western pressure, India withdrew from the project after sometime on the pretext of security concerns. Delhi insisted that she would continue with the agreement if the gas pipeline was routed through sea instead of land.
While the project was lingering, Washington made direct interventions to prevent Pakistan from continuing with the gas purchase agreement with Iran, pushing the project into further delay. However, energy starved Pakistan shrugged off U.S. opposition and signed the much-delayed agreement last year when the then president Asif Zardari visited Iran to sign the treaty during his last weeks in office.

Apart from the political controversies between rival PPP and PML-N surrounding the hasty signing of IP gas pipeline agreement by Zardari, the PML-N government of Nawaz Sharif could not attend to the construction of the pipeline infrastructure during the initial months after coming to power. Sensing a possible dragging the feet off the project by Islamabad, Tehran also withdrew the proposed financial aid to the infrastructure inside Pakistan, citing the economic hardships back home.

When the imposition of penalties looking imminent on Pakistan with the fast approaching deadline, Nawaz Sharif visited Iran to win over the lost support from Tehran and also bailed out Islamabad from the heavy penalties of violating the construction deadline.
It is a good sign that Islamabad realized it could not afford to lose Iranian friendship in view of arch-enemy India and a new Kabul administration that is opposed to Islamabad’s policies in the region.

_______________________

Mansoor Jafar is Editor of Al Arabiya Urdu based in Islamabad. He can be reached via Twitter: @mansoorjafar
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/vie...akistan-Iran-narrowly-salvage-friendship.html

 

[Al-zakir]

I wish to see strong brotherly relation between Pak-Iran. Both country has potential to lead Islamic world. Crawling Ummah need good hearted committed leadership to help them walk again. Good luck.

Does Nawaz Shareef not know how to speak Farsi? I thought Farsi is compulsory in Pakistani school. Am I wrong on this?

 

[Contrarian]

I wish to see strong brotherly relation between Pak-Iran. Both country has potential to lead Islamic world. Crawling Ummah need good hearted committed leadership to help them walk again. Good luck.

Does Nawaz Shareef not know how to speak Farsi? I thought Farsi is compulsory in Pakistani school. Am I wrong on this?

Yes you are wrong.
farsi is not compulsory in Pakistani schools. And very few Pakistanis speak it.