Pipeline pact in December: Natwar

Published September 4, 2005

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Pakistan, India and Iran are expected to sign a pact in December, which will enable them to go ahead with the proposed $7.4 billion pipeline project to supply natural gas from Iran to Pakistan and India, the Press Trust of India said on Saturday.

“If all goes well, there can be a tripartite meeting of the concerned ministers to finalize a framework agreement by Dec 31,” Indian Foreign Minister Kunwar Natwar Singh was quoted as saying in Tehran.

He was speaking after holding talks with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

The news agency said Tehran had agreed to supply five million tons of liquid natural gas to India annually. India had asked for 7.5 million tons of gas supply.

APP adds: An Indian energy sector delegation will visit Pakistan next week to proceed with dialogue on the execution of the project.

The Prime Minister’s Adviser on Energy Mukhtar Ahmad said in a meeting with members of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Karachi that the two sides would discuss pre- and post-execution issues relating to the project.

He said Iran would forward its proposals regarding terms of reference for the project next month.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...