Re: US has concern on Pak-Iran gas pipeline: Olson
No leader in his right mind would have risked alienating the country for the sake of Iran. Pakistan cant afford to not have the Americans on their side. Although, at some point, Pakistan will have to look out for her own interest, right now it simply has to dance to the tune of the ones that pull the purse strings. Its the sad truth for Pakistan. If you cant get your house in order, you cant call the shots.
Pakistan can very well afford not to have America on their side. Keeping the post 9/11 period in perspective, Pakistan has not gained anything from its forced alliance with the US. Monetarily, Pakistan has lost a lot more than it has received in aid/bribes from the US. Pakistan got a few billion in aid, while spent/lost 10s of billions in the war, along with lost economic opportunities.
If Pakistan has the IP pipeline working, its gas shortage will become a thing of the past, and will result in a lot better electricity situation. This is vital, as these are Pakistan's short term requirements. In the long term, the political parties can get together to agree on dams, or other power generation methods. But for now, Pakistan needs a quick fire short term solution, as the economy is crumpling because of power shortage.
Iran is isolated, but at the same time, holds a lot of clout internationally, regardless of what US may lead us to believe. Because of that, Iran is unlikely to be the next Iraq. Many european countries do oil and gas business with Iran even after sanctions, and Turkey has 1 operational, and 1 planned gas pipeline coming from Iran, so I dont see why Pakistan cannot do the same.
I agree with your last point. We need to get our house in order first.