WHEN will the United States extract oil from Pakistan and when will it be exported to India? That will take time.
However, this news surely carries the promise of a new era. Whether one takes it as sarcasm or analyzes President Donald Trump’s personality seriously, he is undoubtedly a businessman and all aspects of his politics originate from this fact. Any news coming from the world’s most powerful man should be seen in this context. This means that just as President Trump helped halt the Pakistan-India war, he now also wants to end the tensions between the two countries. What does it mean if tensions between Pakistan and India ease or come to an end? It inevitably means that the conditions that have created unrest within Pakistan will also begin to disappear.
God Almighty has blessed Pakistan with abundant oil and gas resources, but unfortunately, misfortune has always haunted it. A former official of the Oil and Gas Development Authority has revealed that oil and gas cannot be extracted from Balochistan and some other regions because powerful local groups obstruct the process — and some foreign powers also play a role in this. The vision President Trump has presented regarding the extraction of natural resources, particularly oil and gas, has far-reaching implications. This implies that the regions in Pakistan rich in these natural resources are currently plagued by unrest. As long as this instability continues, neither foreign investors can come in, nor can oil be extracted. If there is now talk of benefiting from these exceptional resources, it means that the region can no longer afford unrest and that peace may soon prevail. Likewise, if there is talk of selling oil extracted from Pakistan to India, some perceive it as sarcasm from Donald Trump — but that is far from the truth. Rather, it suggests that the hostile atmosphere created by Narendra Modi is coming to an end. It also means that Modi’s chapter is closing, and from his ashes, a new India will emerge — one that maintains normal relations with its neighboring countries.
Modi’s decline has begun in India, and signs of change are also appearing in Pakistan. Keeping this reality in view, we must remain vigilant and understand the demands of the new era to safeguard our interests.
This development raises several questions. For instance, what will be the impact of Pakistan’s growing closeness with the United States on its relations with Iran, especially in comparison with India? This is a very important question. On the surface, it seems Pakistan must choose between the US and Iran — but in reality, that is not the case. When Iran’s President, His Excellency Masoud Pezeshkian, visited Pakistan, he was given an exceptionally warm welcome. In return, the Iranian President thanked Pakistan with great sincerity and affection — an indication that Iran does not feel uneasy about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, but rather feels reassured. Similarly, there has been no sign of concern from the American side either. This is a favorable situation for Pakistan, one that could be beneficial for all parties involved.
The most significant outcome of President Pezeshkian’s visit to Pakistan is Iran’s constructive stance regarding the ports of Chabahar and Gwadar. In reality, Chabahar holds no strategic importance in comparison to Gwadar. Still, India had been investing in Chabahar, not only to compete with Gwadar but also to sabotage its success. Before the war with Israel, Iran had a different stance on this matter, but after the war, it has changed its position. This means that the malign presence of India in the region has now effectively ended. The Chabahar port will now serve as a supporting port to Gwadar and Iran will become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This change is so significant and far-reaching that its importance cannot be overstated.
In conclusion, after the Iran-Israel war, the region has transformed — and most of the resulting benefits are directed toward Pakistan. While this calls for gratitude before the Divine, it is equally important to make wise use of these opportunities with a well-thought-out strategy.
—This writer is former advisor to the President of Pakistan, author & mass media theorist.
(farooq.adilbhuta@gmail,com)
