China is strengthening Pakistan's nuclear muscle in a bid to overcome the South Asian nation's energy crisis. After helping to develop the nuclear facility in Chashma, in Punjab province, China is now working with Pakistan on another plant in the southern port city of Karachi.

China is expected to take operational control of the strategically located Gwadar port on Pakistan's southwestern coast this month. The state-run Chinese Overseas Port Holdings has bought the shares of Singapore's PSA International, the concession holder and operator of the port, under a deal approved by the Pakistan government.

Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf has returned home after four years of self-imposed exile, despite death threats, and now appears trapped. He is on the hit list of Islamist extremists; he is the target of Baloch insurgents who have vowed to avenge the death of veteran Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, which Musharraf was accused of having a hand in; he is wanted by the judiciary in several cases; and he is shunned by mainstream political parties that want little to do with a former military dictator.

International concerns have been raised by Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal, while Beijing has faced much criticism for its co-operation over nuclear energy with Islamabad.

Islamabad and Tehran are all set to begin work on a much delayed US$7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, a project that faces stiff opposition from the United States. The project can bring an economic bonanza for Iran, which faces sanctions from the United Nations, the US and the European Union over its nuclear programme.