Islamabad Determined To Complete IP Gas Pipeline Project

Tehran, Aug 18, IRNA - Pakistans charge daffaires to Tehran Soheil Sadiqi said the new Pakistani government is determined to enhance ties with new Iranian administration. In an exclusive interview with IRNA, Sadiqi said Islamabad is committed to complete Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project in near future. Pakistan is in dire need of energy and is determined to complete IP gas project to meet its demands in spite of pressures and unilateral sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic, he said. Citing IP project as a vital contract, he stressed that the two sides have always attached great importance to such projects. Sadiqi stressed that Tehran and Islamabad enjoy fraternal and amicable relations. On March 11, 2013, Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated the final construction phase of the gas pipeline in the Iranian city of Chabahar, near the Pakistani border. The multi-billion-dollar pipeline is designed to help Pakistan overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country is facing serious energy shortages./end