New beginning for Indo-Pak energy diplomacyRecently, the Indian Government has taken a big leap toward bridging the trust-deficit with Pakistan by working on a deal to supply liquid gas to fuel power generation in Pakistan, which suffers from acute power shortage of almost 20 hours a day.Realising the difficulties in immediate commencement of power grid connectivity from India, New Delhi plans to address the major power crisis by selling gas for power generation in Pakistan. The Indian Government plans to supply 5 mcmd of gas for 5 years initially. On the other hand, New Delhi expects once the deal is through, Islamabad would remove roadblocks pertaining to much ambitious TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline project. Once realised, pipeline connectivity with Turkmenistan will certainly extricate India out of its acute fuel scarcity.Undoubtedly, India’s willingness to export electricity and natural gas to energy-hungry Pakistan is quite commendable. This gesture may turnaround as a major milestone toward commencement of cementing bilateral relationship. However, keeping the track record of Indo-Pak trust building initiatives in mind, realisation of these projects seems to be really difficult.While Pakistan is demanding for duty concessions, Indian agencies are strict to their demand on bank guarantee. Also, the concerns of local population cannot be neglected. India, which itself is struggling to meet its energy demand, is sourcing power and energy resources to another country are nothing short of luxury.However, we all agree, there is a great need of close co-operation and trust between neighbours. What’s your say?Please do send me your comments at editor@enpreview.com
