Sunday, April 27, 2008

Charging at windmills

India and China have growing energy problems. With rapid growth, the infrastructure needs grow rapidly and often with the global competition for fossil fuel, it makes meeting the needs difficult. China has taken a different approach by bartering with tin pot dictatorships like the Sudan. India has been chasing the pipe dream of getting access to Turkmenistan's vast gas resources and guess what by laying a pipeline through Afghanistan. Why was there no shortcut via Iraq?
The Chindu wags its tail in glee at the Government's blind optimism and cautions the UPA Govt. not to forget the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/28/stories/2008042851461000.htm
Last the people in the world heard, there was a war going on in Afghanistan. Recently the Afghanistan Government was forced to run from a public function when it was targeted by Al Qaeda operatives. There have been numerous kidnappings of workers belonging to multinational companies involved in the rebuilding projects in Afghanistan. How exactly is the UPA Government going to lay the pipelines? Perhaps assemble it in India and drop it over Afghanistan like a Lego toy?
Of course any thought that Pakistan can exert political pressure on India by controlling the pipeline is swept under the rug, by Chindu's statement.
A section of the Indian establishment fears that Islamabad will use India’s dependence on the Pakistan route for importing gas as a lever to exert political pressure. Such fears ignore the positive experience of other regions of the world, notably Europe, in sourcing gas through pipelines; and indeed the success of the Indus Water Treaty between the two South Asian neighbours.

I understand that to get energy, given the current world situation, some deals have to be struck with unscrupulous characters. Is it illogical to think that the deals have to be struck with countries who have a vested interest in India's failure?

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Anonymous said...

This is the main story in most other dailies. Chindu hides it with in ambigously titled report.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/29/stories/2008042962210100.htm

Taking a dig at the Left Front government, Ms. Gandhi said it should “introspect why after 30 years [of the Left being] in power the State is lagging behind when it comes to improving the condition of the minorities.”