SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
Before signing a mega deal of $46 billion with all weather friend China, Pakistan has also lend a friendship hand towards isolated Russia. After Ukraine crisis, Russia has been at odds with West and after Modi’s inclination towards US, Pakistan seized the opportunity to shake hand with old rival Russia. Moscow not only offered choppers to Pakistan but signed a $2 billion deal Pakistan to build an 1100-km-long energy pipeline from Karachi to Lahore to transport liquefied natural gas. In return for the Russian investment, Russian companies will be awarded the contract to build the pipeline. Russia has offered to sell gas to Pakistan and will start its first LNG exports to Pakistan in 2016. The Russia-Pakistan contract will be awarded without any formal bidding process, which clearly means that it is a G2G or government-to-government understanding implying how closely Moscow and Islamabad are now working. The bonhomie between Russia and Pakistan shows that Pakistan is slowly sliding towards Russian and Chinese bloc.
Definitely Beijing has a key role in normalizing ties between both the countries.
Russia is in search of newer friends and markets in the wake of the Western sanctions. Anyone ready to stymie the West and embrace Russia at this point of time is welcome for Moscow. Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world to do this.
That’s why and how it is the best time for Pakistan and Russia to script a never-before story of bonhomie which could not materialize all these past decades.
The emerging bloc of Russia-China and Pakistan has created ripples in the international politics especially for India and US. The impetus to break the ice with Russia was Obama’s ignoring Pakistan during his visit to India and a nuclear deal with India, further fuelled Pakistan to think of new avenues. Pakistan’s decision to tie knot with Russia would certainly force India to rethink its foreign policy and re-engage old friend. Thus if India return to Russia along with Pakistan in the loop, US would hardly find a room in South Asia.
pakistan.shafaqna.com
