Wikileaks: Iran-Pak gas pipeline unlikely to take off

A source confided to US diplomat in private conversation that he viewed the project as unlikely.

WASHINGTON: Despite Iran and Pakistan signing an ambitious gas pipeline deal with a possible extension to India, the multi-billion-dollar project is unlikely to take off, according to the text of an American diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.

A source, whose name has been removed, confided to the US diplomat in a private conversation on June 4, 2009, that he viewed the near-term implementation of the Iran-Pakistan gas link project as “very unlikely”, the cable said.

“The downbeat comment was made despite the recent signing in Istanbul by President Ahmadinejad and President Zardari of an MoU committing to the gas project,” it said.

The source indicated that he had several reasons for this opinion, but the only one he elaborated was that “Pakistanis don’t have the money to pay for the pipeline, or the gas,” the cable said.

According to the source Iran is interested in annually exporting 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Europe, the cable said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.