Energy Crisis of Pakistan

Pakistan is in grip of serious energy crisis. It lacks sufficient reserves of petroleum, gas. coal and is also short of electricity producing hydel and nuclear projects. Moreover, whatever has is underdeveloped, underutilized, un-explored and un-prospected. In sharp contrast t Pakistan, countries of the Middle East are also facing a grim and deadly energy crisis even though they are in possession of world’s largest hydro-carbon reserves and command production o plenty of exportable electric power. Their assets have become their liabilities. Their vast energy potential is of little use to them because they neither have industrial complexes nor mechanize agriculture. Their precious mineral wealth is available for use to the countries that are either highly industrialized or the countries that are passing through various stages of development consequently, a state of oil rush has developed. In the forefront are super powers like the US and its western allies.

Had the Middle East been only a vast stretch of desert, as it is, no outsider would have cared to set foot on its soil. But, fortunately or unfortunately, it has oil and plenty of oil. Demand for its oil is growing with the rapid growth of industrialization all around the world. To gain control of region’s oil fields the US and Britain planted state of Israel in the heart of the Arab world in the middle of the last century and created conditions for their permanent military presence there. As the aftermath of 9/11 and America’s cooked up excuses of existence o weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the US military machine ran over Afghanistan and Iraq keeping Iran under strict watch. American grand strategy is to make use of energy resources of the Middle East and the rest of the world and keep own energy reserves at home capped to be used when most of the world energy resources get used up. The US will then acquire the status of permanent superpower which none would ever be able to challenge.

Seen in this perspective, Pakistan’s short range energy crisis calls for access to energy from sources at home and abroad to meet its immediate needs and in the long run to compete for regular supply of oil and gas from alternate sources of the Middle East and the Central Asian Republics to attain self-sufficiency. The problem involves complicated international relations The project of India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline, for instance, is not getting through just because the US is opposed to it. Since both India and Pakistan have put themselves in a state of subservience to the US, they are unable to pursue an independent policy in this regard. India being a big country, may take an independent stand if it decides to but not Pakistan until becomes sufficiently strong at home, is capable of capitalizing its geo-strategic location to meet its energy requirements without the goodwill of any big power.