A senior Pakistani official says US sanctions against the Islamic Republic do not apply to the multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline which is under construction to carry natural gas from Iran to Pakistan.
“We have clarified our position many times that given the acute energy requirements of Pakistan, the government remains committed to all options for addressing our energy needs, including the IP (Iran-Pakistan) pipeline project. We believe that the US sanctions do not apply on this project and we have conveyed this to the US government,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman,, said at a press briefing in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The United States has long been threatening Pakistan with economic sanctions if Islamabad goes ahead with the IP gas pipeline project.

The government of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has, however, made it clear that addressing the country’s longstanding energy problems will be its top priority, and it has no plans to reverse the decision on the completion of IP pipeline.

Pakistani Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz gave a non-paper to US Secretary of State John Kerry on August 1 during his two-day visit to the South Asian country, to highlight the importance of the project to Islamabad.

The final construction phase of the IP pipeline was inaugurated on March 11. Iran has already built 900 kilometers of the pipeline on its soil and is helping to build the 700-kilometer part of the pipeline on the Pakistani side.

The IP pipeline is designed to help Pakistan overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country of over 180 million people is grappling with serious energy shortages.

By Press TV

 

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