In a blistering attack rooted in declassified U.S. intelligence, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has reignited the national debate on Pakistan’s economic vulnerability, calling it a ‘beggar nation’ unfit to offer anything to India. His remarks follow a revealing U.S. diplomatic cable, now public, which paints a grim picture of Pakistan’s natural gas crisis and its heavy reliance on foreign nations for energy security.
Dubey’s comments made via a post on X (formerly Twitter) drew from the American document, which was originally drafted to assess Pakistan’s energy import strategies in the face of domestic shortfalls. The document outlines in detail how, as early as 2009, the Pakistan Government anticipated a major natural gas shortfall, triggering a desperate search for alternatives beyond its own borders.
According to the U.S. diplomatic cable, Pakistan’s domestic oil and gas reserves are enough to meet only 25% of its national demand. With internal resources dwindling and energy consumption rising, the country has turned toward importing natural gas, either through expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) or complex, risky overland pipelines.
However, bulk LNG imports have been deemed impractical due to poor infrastructure at major seaports like Karachi and Port Qasim. Transporting LNG inland via pressurized containers through heavily populated areas is both dangerous and logistically challenging. Meanwhile, building an entirely new pipeline infrastructure for LNG distribution would drive costs to prohibitive levels.
On the pipeline front, Pakistan is exploring multiple cross-border projects, none of which has yet proven unviable. Among them:
The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan (TAP) Pipeline
A 1,400 km project designed to deliver 2 billion cubic feet per day of gas. Progress has stalled due to instability in Afghanistan and Turkmenistan’s limited gas reserves, making this the least promising option.
The Qatar–Pakistan Underwater Pipeline
A 1,600 km deep-sea project running from Qatar’s North Dome field to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port. While Qatar’s vast reserves promise long-term supply, the technical challenge of laying the pipeline at depths of 1,000 meters and its enormous cost make it a high-risk proposition.
Though often discussed in policy circles, the Iran–Pakistan pipeline was not covered in the U.S. memo but remains another potential, albeit geopolitically sensitive, route for energy imports.
‘What Can a Beggar Nation Give to India?’
Nishikant Dubey seized on the findings to launch a scathing criticism of Pakistan, contrasting its dependency with what he described as India’s strength and self-reliance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his tweet, Dubey wrote, which translated to English, reads:
‘This is the U.S.’s own revelation, Pakistan has only 25% of the oil and gas reserves it needs for its own consumption. According to the U.S., pipelines from Turkmenistan, Iran, and Qatar are Pakistan’s last options. What can a beggar nation give to India? India stands firm for its farmers, small traders, and national security. This is Modi’s strong India.’
Dubey’s remarks have struck a nationalist chord, amplifying the narrative that India, under the Modi government, is marching toward energy security.
As the region braces for rising energy demands and geopolitical realignments, the newly spotlighted U.S. cable has added fresh fuel to the fire; one that is now as political as it is infrastructural.