ISLAMABAD – Pakistan aims to complete the Iran-Pakistan gas pipelineproject soon despite reservations of the United States, officials said.
The government has decided to send demarches to US, European Council andother related forums on the IP project, said the officials.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has already asked Foreign Minister Shah MehmoodQureshi to resolve the irritants to complete the project.
For years, Pakistan and Iran have been working to complete the IP gaspipeline project soon to resolve Pakistan’s energy crisis. IP pipelineproject – also called Peace Pipeline – is aimed at constructing pipelinefrom Iran’s South Pars fields in the Persian Gulf to Pakistan’s majorcities of Karachi and Multan. The pipeline can carry 110 million cubicmeters of gas a day. Iran will initially transfer 30 million cubic metersof gas per day to Pakistan but will eventually increase the gas transfer to60 million cubic meters per day.
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Foreign ministry officials said Iran had asked Pakistan “not to follow theUnited States” on the IP project. “They believe the US is stopping us(Pakistan) to move further on the project. We have tried to defuse thisimpression,” said an official.
Iran Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost said Iran had fulfilled itscommitments regarding construction of gas pipeline in the Iranian sectionand was ready to start export of gas to Pakistan at the earliest in case ofimplementation of the commitments by Pakistan.
