Geopolitics aid Pakistan energy investments

Various nations are seeking to secure regional influence by backing major projects in Pakistan that might otherwise struggle for finance

 Gas-producing nations including Russia, Iran and Mid-East Gulf states—as well as major investors such as China—have sought to strike deals with Islamabad over the summer. In one of the most significant developments, Russia agreed to help Pakistan finance and build a 1,100km gas pipeline from Port Qasim in Karachi to the northwestern city of Kasur, near Lahore. The revised agreement, worth at least $2.5bn, is a far cosier arrangement for Pakistan than a preliminary draft signed with Moscow in 2015. In fact, Russia stands to gain little financially from the project. Its stake in the renamed Pakistan Gas Stream Pipeline (PGSP) has been provisionally scaled back to 26pc from an 85pc controlling