On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan arrived in Moscow for a two-day visit, during which he will meet with several Russian political leaders, including President Vladimir Putin. According to a release by the Pakistani Foreign Office, the two leaders will discuss a wide range of issues, such as energy cooperation, and other regional and international issues of mutual concern, including Afghanistan and Islamophobia.
He was accompanied by many high-ranking government officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, and National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf.
On his arrival, Khan was received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov with a guard of honour. He is scheduled to meet with Putin on Wednesday. Khan’s itinerary also includes meetings with members of the Russian business community and a visit to the Islamic Centre in Moscow.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI has arrived in Moscow on his two days official visit to Russia.
— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 23, 2022
Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Mr. Igor Morgulov welcomed the Prime Minister.#PMIKInRussia pic.twitter.com/Zl97HoYX5v
The Pakistani government maintains that the visit is in promoting “friendly relations” between the two countries that is based on “mutual respect, trust and convergence of views on a range of international and regional issues.”
The focus of the visit appears to be the $2.5 billion gas pipeline that Pakistan has been seeking to build in collaboration with Russian companies. In fact, Pakistani Energy Minister Hammad Azhar has also accompanied Khan to push for the expeditious launch of the project.
The project is a 1,110-kilometre pipeline, popularly known as the North-South gas pipeline, which is supposed to be jointly funded by both countries in pursuance of a 2015 agreement. It would facilitate the transport of imported Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) from the coastal region of Karachi to the landlocked Punjab state.
Previously, the project was delayed due to sanctions on Russian companies. Pakistan, however, has struggled with its own domestic gas supplies, thereby increasing its dependency on imported LNG.
Reflecting the urgency with which Pakistan hopes to conclude the deal, in an interview with Russia Today on Tuesday, Khan said, “This North-South pipeline suffered, one of the reasons... was the companies we were negotiating with, turned out that the United States had applied sanctions on them… So, the problem was to get a company that wasn’t sanctioned.”
This is the first visit by the Pakistani PM to Russia after Nawaz Sharif in 1999. That being said, former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visited Moscow in 2011.
Khan’s maiden visit to Moscow overlaps with growing tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine. Consequently, while responding to a question about Khan’s trip, United States (US) Secretary of State spokesperson Ned Price said, “We believe it’s the responsibility of every responsible country around the world to voice concern and to voice objection to what Putin appears to have in mind for Ukraine,” adding that this concern had already been communicated to Pakistan as well.
The other risk is that Khan becomes a prop for Putin's propaganda, w/Putin using Khan's presence as an example to the world that Russia still has good friends after what happened. Putin may try to goad him into saying something re Ukraine. Hopefully Khan doesn't take the bait.
— Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) February 22, 2022
Nevertheless, Pakistani government officials have rejected the criticism and claimed that the visit would not impact the country’s relations with its Western allies. “Yes, there is a global tension but our visit is of bilateral nature and the similar path was taken in the visit to China where economy, economic indicators and connectivity was at the heart of that tour,” Yusuf said.
Likewise, Khan clarified on Monday: “This visit was planned well before the emergence of the current phase of Ukrainian crisis… I received the invitation from President Putin much earlier.”