Iran urges Pakistan to complete gas pipeline

TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Pakistan to push for completion of a long-awaited gas pipeline between the two countries. 

Iran has already completed construction of Iranian section of a pipeline that allows for exporting gas to Pakistan, President Rouhani said in a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq held in Tehran Monday. “We hope that the Pakistani side would also more seriously pursue the necessary measures to complete the project,” the president added.

He also stressed the need for establishment of land and rail transit routes between the two neighbors, saying Iran’s port city of Chabahar and Pakistan’s Gwadar port could greatly benefit the region. For his part, the Pakistani speaker emphasized the necessity for close interaction between the ports of Chabahar and Gwadar.

Sadiq also called for Iran’s inclusion in a major transit route linking China to Pakistan, saying Iran’s partnership in China-Pakistan economic corridor would contribute to regional trade exchanges. He voiced Islamabad’s willingness to finish the gas pipeline. Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, which stretches for 900 kilometers only in Iran, has been designed to help populous Pakistan overcome its growing energy needs. Pakistan has fallen short of constructing the 700-kilometer part of the pipeline on its territory.