Gary Ackerman, the senior Congressman visiting India, is a great friend of India and co-chair of the India Caucus. He has been a vigorous campaigner for the Indo-US nuclear deal. He has, however, very strong views on the Iranian nuclear enrichment programme and has urged India to join the US and western European countries in isolating Iran to apply pressure on it to fall in line with the demands of the US, UK, France and Germany. Particularly, he has in mind the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline to supply gas to the two countries. After the recent talks between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, it was disclosed that most of the issues on the pipeline have been solved.

India will get the natural gas delivered at the India-Pakistan border. Pakistan has given assurance on the security of the pipeline traversing through the turbulent Baluchistan territory. The financing of the pipeline at 7.4 billion dollars is yet to be settled. It is not quite clear, given the pressure on Iran by the international financial institutions how this sum will be raised and when the pipeline would be constructed.

An Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline would not only contribute towards India’s acute energy problem but would also be a major confidence building measure between India and Pakistan. Turning down a proposal which is in India’s long-term interest, and advocated strongly by Pakistan, is not conducive to the betterment of Indo-Pakistan relations. The pipeline has to traverse the whole length of Pakistan. India comes into the picture as the purchaser of the gas. If the US objects to the pipeline, then it is strange that they are not asking Pakistan, which so depends on US aid, to abandon the project, but are asking India to give it up in order to isolate Iran. Ackerman should be requested to explain US policy on Pakistan-Iran cooperation over the pipeline. If they are able to stop it, then the issue of Indian involvement will not arise. If they are permissive of Pakistan and Iran cooperating on the pipeline then why should they object to India benefiting, if and when it comes through? At present it is for Indian interlocutors to seek clarification from the US on its proposed policy on the Iran-Pakistan pipeline.

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