President Mamnoon Hussain said that the government is committed to completing the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline project at any cost.
“Pakistan is determined to complete the gas project,” the President said during a meeting with the Speaker Iranian Parliament, Dr Ali Larijani at the presidency.
Dr Larijani said that Iran wants to increase trade volume with Pakistan and expressed interest in the import of rice from Pakistan.
President Mamnoon and the Iranian speaker called for opening the branches of their banks on reciprocal basis and added that it would enhance their bilateral relations.
In his recent visit to Iran, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi aired his fears of US sanctions if the project is commissioned.
He was quoted as saying: “I am hopeful that both nations can find a solution for the project despite threats of sanctions.”
The project was launched by the last Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in March 2013 to feed energy-starved Pakistan.
The 1,244-mile pipeline would each day transport more than 750 million cubic feet of natural gas to energy starved Pakistan from Iran’s South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf.
Iran has nearly completed a segment of the pipeline on its side while the Pakistani segment has not even been started notwithstanding the tall claims of senior Pakistani officials.
