Gas supply project: Iran wins fresh assurance for pipeline

President meets Iranian interior minister, says cooperation needed.

ISLAMABAD: The US recently made it clear that it opposed Pakistan’s decision to import gas from Iran, going so far as to threaten sanctions if Islamabad did not withdraw from the deal.

Despite the pressure, Pakistan, at the highest level, assured Tehran that it was committed to the gas pipeline project and other energy projects with Iran.

The commitment came from President Asif Ali Zardari during his meeting with visiting Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar.

“Pakistan attaches high priority to early completion of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and 1,000 megawatt Taftan-Quetta power transmission line,” President Zardari was quoted as telling the Iranian delegation on Wednesday.

Pakistan and Iran have envisaged a gas pipeline to meet the former’s growing energy needs, but the US has made it obvious that it opposes the project and has threatened Pakistan with sanctions.

“Promotion of intra-regional and inter-regional connectivity is key to socio-economic development of the people of this area, and Iran has a major role to play, along with Pakistan, due to our geo-strategic locations,” Zardari said, according to his media office.

President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani both travelled to Iran over the last two months, while the Iranian foreign minister visited Islamabad recently.

During talks at the Presidency, Najjar was accompanied by Iranian Ambassador Mashallah Shakeri, Deputy Interior Minister Mahdi Mohammadifard, Deputy Minister and Head of the Crisis Management Organisation Hasan Ghadami and head of the Red Crescent Society Faghih.

The Pakistani side included Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Secretary General to the President M Salman Faruqui, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Interior Secretary KM Siddiq Akber and other senior officials.

Zardari said the two countries needed to further deepen cooperation in all areas, particularly trade, energy, security, communication and infrastructure.

He said resource shortages, inadequate trade, smuggling, drug trafficking, border management and security were among the few challenges that the two countries needed to address together.

The president said the afgreement between the two countries to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion was “doable”.

Najjar, during meeting, added that Iran would donate $100 million for the rehabilitation of flood victims.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th,  2011.