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India, Pak to speed up gas pipeline project
Tribune News Service

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar meets Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Pakistan, Ahmed Waqar in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI photo

New Delhi, July 12
Brushing aside US pressure, India and Pakistan today agreed to move fast on the $ 4.5 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project, aimed at partially fulfilling the energy needs of the Northern India and Pakistan in the coming years.

The Pakistan delegation led by Petroleum Secretary Ahmad Waqar asserted that Pakistan would continue to back the mega-project despite US pressure. The USA, which is targeting Iran over its ambitious nuclear programme, has threatened to impose sanctions on the countries, which enter into any deal with the “rogue” state over $ 20 million.

Official sources said, India and Pakistan had argued with the US that it had no right to pressurise the sovereign countries, when its own companies were cornering million-dollar projects in Iran.

“A range of issues was discussed, including technical, commercial, financial and legal. All issues were discussed in an open and candid manner. We have understanding on most of the issues,” Pakistan’s Petroleum Secretary Ahmed Waqar told reporters at the end of first day of talks with India. Earlier, the delegation met the Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.

India’s Petroleum Secretary S.B. Tripathy made a detailed presentation on technical and commercial issues, including pricing at which natural gas would be imported from Iran. Pakistan was reportedly satisfied with the arguments raised by India.

“Principles have been laid down. Good progress has been made and we are very satisfied,” Mr Waqar said, adding the talks would continue tomorrow at the end of which a joint statement would be issued.

Mr Waqar said the Islamabad meeting between Mani Shankar Aiyar and his Pakistani counterpart Amanullah Khan Jadoon was “more of broad indication of seriousness of parties concerned to take talks forward. This Joint Working Group will lay down some milestones, timeliness and concrete steps to be taken for achieving the project.”

When asked about Pakistan’s memorandum of understanding with Iran signed recently, he said the pact also includes India in the pipeline project. The agreement would help set a framework for the implementation of the pipeline project, he said.

Mr Waqar, however, did not elaborate further on the agreement with Iran. He said, “ Eventually, the 2600-km pipeline project would merge into a tri-lateral project.”

Official sources said India wanted the delivery of gas at the Indo-Pak border and subsequently it planned to connect the gas supply at its already existing network. As a result, the length of the pipeline would be reduced to less than 2,000 km from 2,600 km.

Mr Waqar ruled out any kind of differences between the three nations involved in the project. Iran contained the world’s second largest natural gas reserves “at an estimated 812 trillion cubic feet (tcf).” Under the pipeline project, the Pakistani Government was likely to “inject its own exportable gas for sale to India” or take out gas for domestic purposes in Multan.