India succumbs to US pressure, misses meet on Iran pipeline:

[antiobl]

I think Gen M will play a smart game. He will do all the agreements with Iran and when the US blocks it he will tell them listen I need cheap energy and if you don't want me taking it from Iran please give me the nuclear deal like India.

I like your approach AN.

Just a minor addition to your post (attached).

China and India both are being asked to buy US made (actually owned by multinationals including Toshiba of Japan) Nuclear plants. Each of these units costs $2 billion (for a couple of 1000 MW capacity). Pakistan being a partner can also get the plants if we had an extra cash of $2 billion (2007 cost per plant).

China got those plants on much easier terms than India simply because China has much more cash on hand. Indians don't have that much cash so they were subjected to the humiliation of Nuclear pact.

Pakistan should not (and cannot) get the Indian deal. We don't have cash, and we are not that devious with US as India has been. US and Pakistan can interface on Nuclear issues on much easier terms if we want.

The only thing we need to focus on finding ways to get extra cash. How do we do it? Well with all the smart brains around defense forum, it shouldn't be that hard.

Peace.

 

[niaz]

Regardless of what India does. IPI pipeline should be built with sufficient spare capacity to take care of Indian supplies.

A pipeline project would probably be amortised over a 30 year life span. The way Indian economy is going, sooner or later India will have to come round. Without energy, economy cant grow and there is no way India can build enough nuclear power plants to meet all of her energy needs.

Even if India never agrees, hopefully Pakistan's own economy will grow to absorb the spare capacity. If taken care of properly, a pipeline is good for 50 years.

 

[solid snake]

This may actually turn out to Pakistan's benefit. Like Always Neutral has already stated, Pakistan will inform the US that there is a huge energy shortage and the need can be met via this pipeline. Pakistan will ask the US to keep politics out of this deal since it's a dire need of Pakistan. We may be able to construct this pipeline afterall.

Otherwise, yes, Musharraf will ask the US for a nuclear deal similar to India's.

So this looks like a win-win situation to me.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

That is right, you did mention of the deal, which it seems to have come to pass.

All the same, this deal does make one queasy and it shows that politics has its own ways to force issues that one may not really want to concede to.

Very interesting times ahead.

I wonder how Nawaz Sharif and the religious groups are going to view this arrangement between Gen M and BB.