‘Iranian gas will come at a price for Pakistan’
When Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visits Pakistan on Monday, experts believe that the two issues foremost on his mind, which he will want to discuss with his Pakistani counterpart President Asif Ali Zardari, will be border security and the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. “This visit comes at the most troubling time for the region,” Inter Press Service (IPS) quoted Senator Mushaid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Islamabad-based Pakistan-China Institute, as saying. He pointed to the war in Gaza and the resurgence of terrorism from Afghanistan, which borders both Pakistan and Iran. Added tension comes after retaliatory strikes by Israel and Iran. A suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria at the beginning of the month was followed by a retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel on April 13. US officials say Israel responded, despite a plea by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for restraint. The gas pipeline will be an uneasy conversation to hold for Zardari...