NEW DELHI, Aug 11: US President Donald Trump has announced a new agreement for joint development of Pakistan’s oil reserves, hailing it as a “significant beginning” to a long-term energy partnership. However, in the end, the US may find itself investing in a partnership that yields little energy, less loyalty, and a great deal of geopolitical turbulence, according to an article posted on ‘Directus’, an online platform based in Greece.
The US foreign policy announcement, made via Trump’s Truth Social platform, was followed by a broader trade agreement and a reduction in tariffs on Pakistani imports, from 29 per cent to 19 per cent. On the surface, this may appear to be a pragmatic move to deepen economic ties and counterbalance China’s growing influence in South Asia. But beneath the fanfare lies a troubling strategic miscalculation, the Athens-datelined article points out.
It observes that Trump’s enthusiasm for Pakistan’s “massive” oil reserves is puzzling, as the Asian country’s crude oil reserves are estimated at a mere 234 and 353 million barrels, placing it around 50th globally. Pakistan is dependent on imports to meet its oil needs and currently imports oil from the US as well.
Even if oil extraction were to succeed, particularly in Balochistan, where reserves are believed to exist, the consequences could be destabilising. Balochistan has long been a flashpoint of ethnic and political unrest, exacerbated by perceptions of exploitation by foreign powers. China’s heavy footprint in the region through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has already fuelled resentment. US involvement in resource extraction could further alienate local populations and entangle Washington in a volatile domestic conflict, the article points out. (IANS)
