Pakistani Minister of Oil and Natural Resources Asim Hussain says Islamabad wants to complete Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline as soon as possible to deflect the emerging power and gas crises.

“We are dependent on this project as there is no other substitute at present to meet the growing energy demand [in Pakistan],” Hussain said on January 19.

The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, projected to cost USD1.2-1.5 billion, is aimed to export a daily amount of 21.5 million cubic meters of Iranian natural gas to Pakistan.

Describing the project as beneficial for Iran and Pakistan, Hussain said Islamabad started work on the IP project in December 2012.

Hussain had said on September 4, 2012 that the gas pipeline project would become fully operational in 2014, adding that, “Surveys for the project are due to be completed before October 2012 and construction can start as early as December 2012.”

This is while Iran has already constructed more than 900 kilometers of the pipeline on its soil.

The Pakistani minister added that the implementation of the project showed that Islamabad had a flexible foreign policy.

According to reports, the US has been trying to lure Islamabad away from the gas pipeline project by offering cheaper gas to the country.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, however, reiterated on December 20, 2012, that Islamabad has a resolve to push ahead with the gas pipeline project.

The Pakistani foreign minister also underscored Pakistan’s daily-growing demand for Iran’s gas and said the project would continue “under any condition.”

MYA/SS