AGP ‘rejects’ ministry’s stance on gas pipeline project

ISLAMABAD: The office of the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) has extended its legal opinion about North South Gas Pipeline Project, rejecting the stance of the ministry of petroleum about Russian companies.

Sources told this news agency that AGP office has maintained in its opinion that the objections raised by the ministry about a Russian company, TMK, are unfounded and baseless, and this company has potential to materialize this project.

The AGP office has given negative opinion about the other Russian company, ETK, and maintained, in consultation with a US and a British company, that ETK has neither capability nor any potential to complete the project as this company has no experience to accomplish such a mammoth project.

The AGP office has said that there is no bar on TMK company and on the other hand there are restrictions on ETK, while the Russian company TMK is placed on watch list.

When contacted, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Petroleum Nadeem Babar replied that all this information are incorrect, and advised this correspondent to contact the spokesperson of ministry of petroleum for more information. When contacted, ministry’s spokesperson and the secretary avoided speaking on the matter.