India won’t be deterred from Iran gas pipeline:Mani Shankar Aiyar

[phoenix_004]

India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Tuesday assured the Rajya Sabha that neither he nor the United Progressive Alliance government would be influenced by any “big power” in the world while taking a decision on the gas pipeline from Iran via Pakistan.

Aiyar said that discussions were in progress with Pakistan and Iran on the project, which had sufficient scope for success, reported United News of India.

The minister said he planned to go to Pakistan for additional talks on the issue. ‘’I have an invitation from Pakistan,’’ he said.

He was responding to a query from a member on whether India could abandon the pipeline project under the influence of a ‘big power’. online

[phoenix_004]

This stupid nehruvian is making a huge mistake!!! This whole idea of achieving peace(resolution of kashmir issue) with pakistan thrugh a gas pipeline is a mirage!!!!The closer you get to it(achieving a final solution on kashmir) , the farther it moves away from you!!!!! The very idea that you can have peace in the subcontinent just by building a pipeline through pakistan is nothing but a big pipe dream!!!Only left wing commies and the so-called liberals believe that by building this pipeline pakistan would suddenly give up using terrorism as an instrument of state policy....in fact pakis will use the money it gets from such a project to finance further acts of terror against india. Besides in the event of war, Pakistan will actually turn off the tap, leaving India stranded! .Infact this pipeline will become yet another tool in the hands of the pakistani generals to exert pressure on india to resolve kashmir according to their satisfaction. it is a well known fact that indian politicians dont handle pressure well.... pakistan hasn't been able to provide security to its own oil facilities....In January, a little-known separatist group attacked a gas storage facility in Baluchistan. The attack was not unique, as local tribesmen increasingly are targeting natural gas facilities in the province to settle accounts with the central government, ask for higher royalties, or promote their nationalist agendas. If pakistan can't protect its own oil infrastructure how can it proctect India's?????

And if all these above arguements don't count then consider this---- Why should we pay 600-700 million dollars to a country that is still hell bent on destroying india??? And all this to a country that still doesn't give india MFN status or allows its territory to be used to carry indian goods to central asia. the American factor also has to be taken into account....americans dont like the idea and they will do everything in their power to compel the pakis to abandon this pipeline project resulting in the possible cancellation of this project at the end resulting in the wastage of our time. Pakis will certainly bargain hard and demand advanced weapons to compensate for the loss of revenue as a result of the cancellation of this project(due to american pressure). In the end india will end up as the sole looser!!!! Its in india's interest to totally bypass pakistan and instead build a under water pipeline from iran directly to india. although this option is expensive in the shorter run , in the longer run ,its cheaper compared to the first option as we will not be required to pay any transit fees to any country. The proposed iran-pakistan-india pipeline is not a pipeline of peace but just a pipe dream !!!!!

[Beowulf9]

Once it's built can't you just hear Iran saying: "Hey India; Take the gas pipe".

[Saberwielder]

We have our Saudi Arabia, other countries have an Iran. Oil and Gas makes rogues indispensable.

[onedoug]

I can think of something to deter them.

[Gengis Khan]

Completely agree with you. There should be no pipeline comming through Pakistan. It like handing over your cojones on a silver platter to your enemies.

Building a pipeline through Pakistan will be the single biggest strategic blunder since Nehru's acceptance of Tibet as a part of China and solicitation of Kashmir dispute to the UN.

[phoenix_004]

"Building a pipeline through Pakistan will be the single biggest strategic ........of Kashmir dispute to the UN."

Well said......Its surprising why commie lovers like Mani SHnakar never learn from history....they keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again !!!

[phoenix_004]

"Building a pipeline through Pakistan will be the single biggest strategic ........of Kashmir dispute to the UN."

Well said......Its surprising why commie lovers like Mani SHnakar never learn from history....they keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again !!!

[Cronos]

Any better options? india needs the oil.

[Gengis Khan]

We can have undersea pipeline or anything but no pipelines from Pakistan.

[SlamIslam]

This particular project to deliver gas from Iran was hanging for a long time because India was insisting on having an undersea pipeline. Now with the change of government and that commie Aiyar at helm they are going to commit suicide.
LOL.. I hope Amar Singh goes and gives Mani 'Dog' Aiyar one more tight slap.

[Sidebar Moderator]

Do you have a link for this?

Thanks,
SB

[The Incredible One]

this guy is obviously a MULLAH loving leftist commie. these communists and the socialists in india are as worse as the jihadis themselves. insolent pig..

[The Incredible One]

this is for natural gas. an underwater pipeline is more $$ but a safer option. there is trouble brewing in balochistan on the pak-iran border. the balochs have blown up several pakistani oil and gas pipelines passing through their land.

[phoenix_004]

". these communists and the socialists in india are as worse as the jihadis themselves. insolent pig.."

And god willing these commies will one day meet the same faith as that of taliban and al-qaeda!!!!!

[Arjun]

I am with Cronos on this. The pipeline will give India oil as well as make pakistan more dependant financially on India which is a good thing. If you are making $billions every year from a customer.. the less incentive you have to blow them up.
The question of how dependant India will be on this pipeline is a good one. India needs to make sure there is enough diversity of sources that this pipe doesnt dominate Indias energy needs. Once thats taken care of, its upto the pakis to keep the pipeline working or else they dont make money! Sounds like a nice incentive to me.

[phoenix_004]

There are many other ways through which india can get the oil.Building an unersea pipeline to transport oil from iran surpassing pakistan is just one such idea.

"The pipeline will ...make pakistan more dependant financially on India which is a good thing. "
No the pipeline will not make pakistan more dependant on india. On the contrary it will make India more dependant on pakistan.. The real concern regarding this pipeline relates to potential Pakistani control over energy lifelines to India and the consequent leverage of Islamabad over the large scale downstream investments in the petroleum sector on this side of the border.IN OTHER WORDS , contruction of the pipeline doesn't mean merely building a pipeline from iran to india through pakistan but it also involves very substantial investment(billions of dollors probrably to the tune of 12-18 billion) to build refineries and other such infrastucture along the downstream to utilise this oil comming through pakistan.Which means all this money will go waste if pakistan chooses to choke this oil supply.And so like i said pakistan will employ this as a pressure tactic to get india to to resolve kashmir according to their satisfaction because pakis know damn well how turning off the supply will devastate india !!!!Even if you diversify your sources it would still result in an enormous loss of money for india if pakis shut down the supply.
"If you are making $billions every year from a customer.. the less incentive you have...."
Pakistan never listens to reason or logic.For many traditionalists in Islamabad, the geopolitical significance of Pakistan lies in denying access to India rather than making money out of it. SO pakis will happily turn off the tap in case of increased tenisions or if "progress on kashmir" is not acc. to their liking even if it hurts them , simply because it would hurt india even more!!!!!!!!
Just because pakistan gets economic benifits from this project doesn't mean that it will result in their change of heart on either kashmir or terrorism against india.They wont stop supporting terrorism as an instrument of their state policy...On the contrary since india becomes dependant on the oil pipleline for meeting her energy needs, it will be difficult if not impossible for india to undertake a punitive military action across the border for fear that pakistan would cut her gas supply and thus leave india dry!!!.Besides just because you have better economic relations between the two countries wont mean that you will have better political or strategic relations .If that were the case america and china would have been strategic allies rather than strategic competitors!!!!!!

[Arjun]

"And so like i said pakistan will employ this as a pressure tactic to get india to to resolve kashmir according to their satisfaction because pakis know damn well how turning off the supply will devastate india "
Thats why I said earlier that its important to have diversity of sources. That one pipe isnt going meet majority of Indias energy needs. And when was the last time Pakistan was dependant on India to make money? NEVER. Thats basically about to change with this deal. WE are giving them more incentive now to behave themselves.

"Pakistan never listens to reason or logic"
I dont agree with that. They have done stupid things in the past but People like Mush have their own reasons and logic.
The pipeline alone will not bring about a change of heart on kashmir. We have to enforce that with our defence preparedness, international political pressure etc...

The situation between US and china is very different. China has global ambitions and will not stop at anything to accomplish that whereas US will stop at nothing to thwart that. Its a cold war. Yet even there the chinese have been subsidizing the US economy by buying Federal debt and keeping interest rates low. Capitalism DOES increase the stake for countries and results in mutual dependance due to which we have peace. Still as I said before there is no substitute for defence preparedness and political clout. Its a dog eat dog world after all.

[SlamIslam]

India should help build the Iranian port of Chahr Bahar to neutralize Pakistani Gwadar and jointly finance the road from the Iranian port to Central Asia as a conduit for trade with the Central Asian landlocked states. It should also jointly set up a LNG facility in Iran to permit bulk shipments of natural gas from Iran to replace the gas pipeline project and meet the energy needs. Pakistan will not thus have any bargaining power and will be denied the benefit of 700 million dollars. Also it will give India a valid excuse to have military presence to this corridor and virtually cut off Pakistans sea lanes in case of holstilities