KARACHI: Energy-hungry Pakistan hopes that a deal over Iran’s nuclear programme with the western powers will help the country complete a long-delayed gas pipeline project with Tehran, petroleum minister said yesterday.
“As soon as the sanctions are lifted, the project would be completed and Pakistan would be receiving gas from the neighbouring country shortly after,” Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources said.
World powers and Iran have reached a landmark deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief after an 18-day marathon negotiations in Vienna. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the deal a win-win solution.
Abbasi said the deal reached between Iran and western powers over nuclear programme will not have an immediate impact on the gas pipeline project, which the country shelved in March 2014.
“The time-frame on the pipeline project depends on the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers,” the minister said.
“There is no need of any further negotiations or agreement as everything is already in place,” he added. “A pipeline from Gwadar in Balochistan to Nawabshah in Sindh is being installed and Irani gas would flow through the same pipeline.”
Pakistan shelved the multibillion-dollar gas pipeline project after the country failed to secure fund to build its section of the pipeline due to a lack of interest from financial institutions, international oil and gas companies on the US opposition of the Iran-Pakistan pipeline project.
The pipeline will bring much-needed gas to Pakistan, which suffers from a crippling electricity deficit because of a shortage of fuel for its power-generation plants.
IANS
