ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday that $7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project would be completed despite US pressure, a spokesman for the foreign office said.
In a weekly media briefing on Thursday Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Ahmed Khan, said that President Asif Ali Zardari would be visiting Iran on March 11 for the groundbreaking of the much delayed project.
“President Zardari will visit Iran for the groundbreaking ceremony and it will take place on March 11,” foreign ministry spokesman told media persons.
Pakistan suffers from a crushing energy crisis, but the United States is pushing Islamabad to use its offered alternative solutions to help avoid sanctions.
“We are not in a fix… we are very clear about it that the pipeline is in our national interest being an energy deficient country,” Khan said. “Yes we know about their concerns but hope our friends, including the US, will understand our economic compulsions,” he added.
The groundbreaking ceremony would mark the beginning of work by an Iranian-Pakistani consortium on the 785-kilometre pipeline earmarked for the Pakistani side of the border, which is said to cost some $1.5 billion.
If everything else goes well the pipeline will be completed in 15 months. Iran has already completed the pipeline in its territory, while the laying of 785-kilometre -long Pakistani section will commence now. Pakistan plans to import 21.5 million cubic metres of gas daily from Iran via the pipeline.
DND
