Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad arrived Monday in Islamabad for the first time since Pakistan’s February parliamentary elections, to discuss bilateral economic and security ties.
During the visit, Ahmadi Nejad met his counterpart, President Pervez Musharraf and newly elected Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani.
Accompanied by a delegation of top ministers, the Iranian president and his hosts reportedly resolved all issues regarding the $7.6-billion gas pipeline project among Iran, Pakistan and India, paving the way for signing the final agreement soon.
The 1,700-mile-long pipeline is scheduled to be completed by 2011 and will initially carry 60 million cubic meters of gas per day from Iran, to be split between India and Pakistan.
During the visit, Iran also pledged to provide 1,100 MW of electricity to Pakistan, to help it overcome its recent shortage, particularly in areas bordering Iran.
The Iranian visit comes at a time when Iranian relations with the United States are at a record low. The newly elected government in Pakistan therefore constitutes a major attraction to both the U.S. and Iran, which are both concerned about its future policies.
"Maybe the Iranian leadership is of the opinion that the gas pipeline project had been sidelined, so they wanted to make clear what Pakistan’s intentions were regarding this issue," Dr. Mutahir Ahmad of the International Relations Department in Karachi University told The Media Line.
According to Ahmad, not only the pipeline project was of concern to Iran but also the rising tension in the region vis-à-vis the Taliban. Ahmadi Nejad wanted to inquire as to the new government’s policy toward the Islamist movement, said Ahmad.
"I believe there is no major shift in the policy regarding the war against terror, but maybe the strategy is changing.
"We have already seen that in the FATA area [on the border with Afghanistan], the new [local] government has signed several agreements with forces, which are in part considered as terrorist forces. The Americans are also very concerned over this issue," added Ahmad.