‘Pakistan should engage Iran on nuclear power’

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan should engage in a “detailed dialogue” with Iran on nuclear power and not only the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline to counter its “arch-enemy” India, an editorial in a Pakistani newspaper said Friday.

As far as the pipeline is concerned, Bangladesh should be allowed to join the project, which should be extended to China too - benefiting a fellow Islamic country as well as Pakistan’s closest ally, instead of India, the editorial in the Nawa-i-Waqt said.

Terming India “not only the enemy of Pakistan but of all Muslim nations across the world and engaged in all conspiracies to harm them”, it said Pakistan was the only country “standing up to it and an obstacle in its path”.

“Pakistan must also seek Bangladesh’s support for its nuclear programme and also engage in a detailed discussion with Iran on the issue,” it said.

Noting Iran has expressed a desire to include Bangladesh in the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, it said that according to Bangladeshi officials, its ambassador in Iran has sent a message to the foreign ministry saying Bangaldesh can become a part of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.

If Bangladesh joins the project, then it can be linked to it from India’s Kolkata city, it said, claiming India had already “lost interest in going ahead with the project”.

“Due to American pressure, India had already made an undeclared withdrawal from the project from the time of the preliminary discussions only,” the editorial said.

It said if Bangladesh wants to join the gas pipeline project, then Pakistan should have no objections.

“Bangladesh is a brother Muslim nation and the feeling among the people in Pakistan, and made vocal several times, is that the project should be extended to the People’s Republic of China as well as the people of Pakistan abhor the idea of their country making any efforts to facilitate the supply of gas to India,” the editorial said.