In a special parliamentary committee meeting, Hussain told the committee members that Pakistan had asked for $500 million but Iran agreed to only $250 million.
He added that a Pakistani delegation will visit Iran in mid-March in connection with the project. The delegation will finalise the deal.
The tender for the Pak-Iran gas pipeline will be issued on Monday or Tuesday, he further added.
The United States has been pressurising Pakistan to not go ahead with the deal because of its sanctions of Iran, however, Pakistan insisted on continuing with it. Russia has also asked Pakistan to award a $1.2 billion pipeline-laying contract to its energy giant Gazprom without going into bidding process.
COMMENTS (42)
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Antanu g : May I know what Pak has offered in return. Suspect it could be some nuclear components in a clandestine way. I still say nobody is going to invest a penny in this project. Just wait and watch. This has nothing to do with Pak. It is the global situation.
@vasan: YOUR LOGIC IS BASED ON WRONG FOUNDATIONS....IRAN WILL BE EQUALLY BENEFITED WITH THE PROJECT. AND ITS AID TO PAKISTAN WILL NOT BE FREE....IT IS GOING TO BE A BARTERED AGREEMENT/DEAL...ITS PUR BUSINESS AND NOTHING ELSE.BUT FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU, WHO CLAIMED EARLIER THAT NO COUNTRY WOULD INVEST A PENNY IN PAK, THIS DEAL HAS COME AS A SHOCK TO YOU.THATS WHY I KEEP SUGGESTING TO GET RID OF YOUR BIAS TOWARDS THE COUNTRY. RESILIENT AS THE PAKIS ARE, YOU WOULD BE PROVEN WRONG AGAIN AND AGAIN.......
In the end I don't care who does what. But business is give and take. All I'm seeing is "give" from Iran and no part of the "take" when it comes to this deal. It's not charity. There's something going unsaid.
@edfd:
"Express Tribune please try to show proper map of Pakistan in your stories. Include Azad Kashmir & Northern Areas as part and the occupied Kashmir as Red and mention it disputed area. Show some nationalism some time."
The international official stance of Pakistan is that the whole of Kashmir, including Azad Kashmir and northern areas of Gilgit/Baltistan, is dispute and thus constitutionally not part of Pakistan. Even the information minister under Musharaf publicly stated that they are not part of Pakistan. The reason is that once Pakistan officially annexes these areas of Kashmir as provinces of Pakistan, the UN resolutions go out the window. That is why no official map of Pakistan shows the Pakistan administered areas of Kashmir as part of Pakistan.
No country gives anything for free and out of the goodness of heart. If this report is true, Iran must be asking for the "pound of flesh" in return. What could that be? The only thing Iran would want to seek from Pakistan is nuke technology. Pakistan has transferred nuke centrifuges and enrichment technology to Iran in the past, so there is a precedence here. But, Pakistan would be going against the policy of Saudi Arabia, a big patron of Pakistan, if it supplies nuke technology to Iran again. Wonder what is going on behind the doors!
So now wait for a while, trade and visa sanctions are in pipeline for Pakistan by US,EU ,Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies
US giving citizenship and medal to Dr Shakeel in OBL drama, pakistan trading with Iran in oil and gas, its only fair isnt it?
Even Iran will not give free Oil to Pakistan.
You gotta ask how will Pakistan pay Iran back? Since, US and EU have sanctioned Iran, no organization will agree to be a conduit to pay back Iran.
That is the reason India and China are paying Iran with their own money. Being the 2nd and 4th largest Economies have their advantages. You money means something. Pakistan is not even in the top 20 Economies of the World.
I can see the future already, Pakistan being cash strapped, plus no way of repaying Iran and its currency not holding much value. So much Dollars would have been spent by both the parties Pakistan will be forced to pay and face sanctions or not pay and face Oil and Gas disruptions.
antanu G : How pathetic, A business deal has got something for both the parties. This kind of a deal indicate an alms giving or buy out or blackmail. See the messages of Shakky, ASIF and similar messages.
Tribune,
W.H.Y are you using the Indian version of Pakistan's map?
RAW or CIA in involved in kohistan shia killing..
If angels from heaven were to come down to trade with Pakistan or invest in certain projects many eyebrows in and out of Pakistan will be raised.Why is this negativity ?Why do we suspect others?Sincerely hope Pakistanis will come out of fear that exists only in our imagination.
under what terms? what about the subtext and clause agreements associated with aid and subsidies?
Pakistan should go ahead this project dismissing all westerners' objects
i dont understand why Pakisitani Govt is delaying this project. the economic sanctions are taking its toll on Iran and they are desperate. so desperate that they are willing to pay for the pipeline on the pakistani side and much more. Subsidized oil will be provided to a country undergoing major energy crisis. Pakistan needs this as much as Iran. people in charge of this project BETTER GET ON IT!
so kashmir is not a part of pakistan for tribune?
please tribune, be a little pakistani some times...
@vasan: I was wondering the same. Pakistan's getting cheap oil, its getting funding for pipeline and contract from Russia! There's no such thing as free lunch.
@Pakistan politics: what is there for shame....its a business deal...nothing else. truth is you are disappointed with this deal.
@vasan: why....what is so smelly there...? its a business deal and countries frequently do business in thist manner. i think you once pooh pohhed iran pak pipeline as a dream and now feel let down by latest development.. be broad minded...bias never succeed in the long run
What's the penalty if we re unable to do it under USA pressure? Any commission involved? Iranians tell now
Express Tribune please try to show proper map of Pakistan in your stories. Include Azad Kashmir & Northern Areas as part and the occupied Kashmir as Red and mention it disputed area. Show some nationalism some time. Thanks and Regards.
Looks like politics to me - I notice that the Govt is very quick to say that the money is for the project but fails to mention the terms under which the Iranians agreed to provide this money.. Its all headlines and no small print.
Iran is desperate to export its oil n gas n this pipeline means a lot to them, especially with the ever increasing embargoes. It means a lot for energy hungry Pakistan. But once again we r gonna disappoint USA, our biggest donor. I dunno if its a good thing. We should request USA to build us more dams like the previous ones they financed rather then importing oil n gas fr our energy needs.
A good step by Pakistani government, currently Energy Crises is one of the biggest issue we pakistani are facing alongwith Corruption and Terrorism. I hope this will be very helpful to reduce the bad impacts caused due to the shortage of energy resources in pakistan i.e, industries moving from pakistan to other countries and many more.
Pakistan is taking Iran for a ride as well. Iran should not give a single penny to this corrupt and inept government.
Where is Iran going to get the money from? We have been hearing this Iranian rhetoric of cheap this and free that for over 8 years. Nothing ever comes of it and its not going to come to anything now.
Iran desperately needs support for all the stuff they are doing... we beggars are again sucked into this game. just like the chinese, they are providing all the money, all the resources and we are begging, which gives them control of decision making and the upper hand. It seems we have no problem in giving upper hand to China and Iran..
@FF: haha.. art of dealing..lol :) ...
This is a ploy by the ayatollah regime to increase their footprint in Pakistan
this is not shameful, this is the art of dealing for national interest (surprisingly) for the very first time for civilian benefit! But the govt should not go overhead and eliminate themselves from Iran's good books. Now I'm assuming the fuel prices should go down significantly!
Will the CNG becomes cheaper after the Iranian Project or the prices will further shoot up?
No one in the world even China has not given us money for building pipeline and we are begging money shamelessly how long will it continue?? when will we start depending on our own resources ?, Now Iran has decided to help us out and i suspect we will surrender before US and this multi billion project wont complete.
Pakistan has got no guts, we need a leader like AhmediNehad, We salute u sir we love u r the only leader in the Muslim world who have guts to stand before western Imperialists and invaders
What a shame for us
Wel, on rotten this which I can smell is for India n US, not at least for Pakistan which is getting cheap energy. So we have decided to use our geography for something good for very first time...
Shabaash, Shabaash, that's it. that's it. Finally some intelligence..
Iran will fund the pipeline, It will give the oil or gas on a subsidy. It will even give loan(nonrefundable, I guess) to Pakistan to buy the gas or oil. Something smells rot here.