IP project remains stalled

Iran has completed work while Pakistan has yet to initiate due to sanctions

ISLAMABAD:

The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project has remained stalled for two decades as Pakistan has yet to make practical progress on its side of the scheme because of sanctions, while Iran has completed substantial work on its section up to the Pakistani border.

Responding to a calling-attention notice by Senator Talha Mahmood, Federal Minister Ali Pervez Malik said Pakistan was not taking practical steps on the pipeline because sanctions remained in place. He said both countries were seeking a solution in a friendly environment and were working towards an arrangement acceptable to both sides and in Pakistan's national interest.

The minister said Iran, on the other hand, had made considerable progress on its portion of the pipeline and had already supplied gas to its own area up to Fars. He said Iran had also approached an arbitration tribunal in Paris over the matter.

The minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a steering committee to deal with the gas pipeline project. The committee includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the attorney general and Ali Pervez Malik himself. He said the legal proceedings concerning the pipeline remained a major unresolved issue.

"The legal proceedings concerning the pipeline are hanging over our heads," he said, adding that the government would examine the legal aspects and try to find a solution.

Earlier, Senator Talha Mahmood had raised a series of questions regarding the long-delayed project, including whether Pakistan would be ready to receive Iranian gas if sanctions were lifted.