Iran issues ultimatum on IP gas pipeline

Islamabad should expedite gas pipeline project with Iran or it should wait for impending financial punishments, an Iranian source said. “If Pakistan doesn’t revise its behaviour on construction of the peace pipeline, it will be fined based on the bilateral agreement (with Iran),” an informed source, who asked to remain unnamed, told FNA on Saturday. He further complained about the slow trend of the pipeline construction, lamenting that the project had not had tangible progress in the last four months. “In the same respect, we have decided to issue an ultimatum to Pakistani energy officials warning that if they don’t revise the slow trend of the pipeline construction, we will put into effect the paragraph in the agreement which pertains to financial penalties,” the informed source said. Asked about the reason for Pakistan’s delay in constructing the pipeline, the source said that Islamabad claims to be waiting for the results of Iran’s June 14 presidential election, but the delay is a result of the US pressures. Iran and Pakistan in March officially inaugurated the construction phase of the pipeline project on the Pakistani side. The project kicked off in a ceremony attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari at the two countries’ shared border region in Iran’s Southeastern city of Chabahar. The 2700-kilometer long pipeline was to supply gas for Pakistan and India which are suffering a lack of energy sources, but India has evaded talks. In 2011, Iran and Pakistan declared they would finalize the agreement bilaterally if India continued to be absent in the meeting. According to the project poposal, the pipeline will begin from Iran’s Assalouyeh Energy Zone in the south and stretch over 1,100 km through Iran. In Pakistan, it will pass through Balochistan and Sindh but officials now say the route may be changed if China agrees to the project.