Pakistan committed to gas project with Iran

Jadmani rejected media reports about Islamabad’s reluctance to continue cooperation for the completion of the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project under Western pressure, stressing that Islamabad remains committed to advancing the project despite the problems it is facing, ISNA reported on Sunday.

Both Iran and Pakistan are determined to finish the IP gas pipeline project which is running its normal course, added the Pakistani envoy to Tehran.

The IP pipeline is designed to help Pakistan overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country of over 180 million people is grappling with serious energy shortages. The US has long been threatening Islamabad with economic sanctions if it goes ahead with the pipeline project.

According to the original agreement sealed between Iran and Pakistan, the first Iranian gas delivery to Pakistan should start by December 31, 2014. Iran has already built 900 kilometers of the pipeline on its own soil and is waiting for the 700-kilometer Pakistani side of the pipeline to be constructed.

The Pakistani diplomat further praised “very close” relations between Iran and Pakistan, adding that Islamabad seeks to further strengthen ties between the two neighboring nations.

Jadmani also pointed to an upcoming visit by Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to Iran, saying Sadiq would discuss issues of bilateral, regional and international importance with Iranian officials on the sidelines of the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting, which will open in Tehran on February 14.

PressTV