US may hinder Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, fears Iran envoy

ISLAMABAD: There is no scope for further extension in Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline Agreement. These views were expressed by Iran Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Raza Amiri Moqaddam on Friday.

Speaking at an event marking Nowruz at the embassy’s lawn, the Iranian ambassador said there was a scope for extension once in the Gas Pipeline Agreement, which Iran had given to Pakistan. Under the agreement signed in 2009, Iran has completed a 1,000-km gas pipeline on its side at a cost of $1 billion, he said. “Pakistan has not yet implemented this agreement,” he remarked.

The Iranian envoy feared the US might put obstacles in the payment of gas pipeline project. But both the countries could overcome every obstacle, he observed. A plan of action could be developed to solve this problem, he said.

According to a guest at the event, Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri said relations between the two brotherly countries have always been cordial.

He said when Tehran signed the gas pipeline agreement with Islamabad in 2009, his country had to bring gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan. Iran completed this work many years ago, he said.

The Iranian envoy said his country was waiting for the implementation of the agreement by Pakistan for the last one decade.

“The Iranian gas pipeline is in the wider interest of people of both countries,” he told the guests.

He said by implementing the agreement, Pakistan would be able to provide cheap gas to its people. “We can find a way to remove the obstacles in the way of gas pipeline project,” he hoped.

The Iranian ambassador called the Israeli aggression on Gaza a genocide of Palestinians in which more than 100,000 Palestinian men, women and children have been martyred and injured. “Gaza has been reduced to rubble by brutal bombing”, he said.

The ambassador said the hideous face of those who raise hollow slogans of human rights at the global level had been exposed. He called for an end to the hardships of Palestinian people.

The ambassador said Nowruz celebration was an ancient cultural Iranian festival celebrated by 300 million people from a wide area, including Iran, China and Thailand.