Pakistan, Russia ready for partnership.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan and Russia are ready for partAnership as the two cold-war rivals get closer - burying the hatchet. This week's meeting between Prime MinisAter Shehbaz Sharif and Russian PresAident Vladimir Putin sealed the comAmitment for moving forward together without playing bloc politics. In the past, Pakistan had been a part of the US bloc against the then Soviet Union as the two powers engaged in a marathon cold war. The SoviAet Union ultimately collapsed and Russia replaced the former USSR. For several years after the cold war and the collapse of the USSR, Russia struggled for reAcovery and has now re-emerged as a global power.

As part of the comeback as a global influencer, Russia has reAmained in contact with Pakistan to forget the bitter past and look forward to the brighter future together. Russia has also been close to China, another powerAful country challenging the US supremacy.

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This week, Putin mentioned that pipeline gas supplies to PaAkistan were possible and part of the infrastructure was alAready in place. The Sharif-Putin meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation OrganiAsation summit in Samarkand, in Uzbekistan, is a continuity of efAforts for closer ties between the two countries.

A PM's House statement reAflected the positivity: 'The Prime Minister reaffirmed PaAkistan's commitment to work closely with Russia to further expand and strengthen coopAeration between the two counAtries across all areas of mutual benefit including food security, trade and investment, energy, deAfence and security.'

The two sides also agreed to convene the next meeting of the Inter-Governmental CommisAsion (IGC) in Islamabad at an early date.

The long-delayed gas pipeline vital to the south Asian counAtry's economy - the Pakistan Stream gas project, also known as the North-South gas pipeline - is to be built in collaboration with Russian companies.

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The two countries had agreed in 2015 to build a 1,100 kiloAmetres-long pipeline to delivAer imported Liquefied NatuAral Gas (LNG) from Karachi on the Arabian Sea coast to powAer plants in Punjab. The pipeAline's designed annual capacity stands at 12.4 billion cubic meAtres (bcm), with the possibility to be increased to 16 bcm.

The project, originally due to be launched in 2020, was deAlayed after Russian had to reAplace the initial participant, which was hit by Western...