ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: Pakistan is in dire need of energy for its growing economy and Pakistan-Iran-India gas pipeline programme is intact, says Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam.

“We are not under any kind of pressure and we have to meet our energy requirements,” she told a private television channel.

She said Pakistan was pursuing different options to meet its energy requirements and Pakistan-Iran-India gas pipeline was one of them.

Last month a meeting was held between India and Pakistan, which was followed by a meeting between India and Iran, she said, adding a tripartite meeting was yet to be held for which preparations were being made.

She said technical details were being discussed by the parties concerned to move the process ahead.

A final decision about the project could emerge if the parties concerned succeed in reaching a consensus on technical details before the tripartite meeting, she said.

The statement comes a day after the United States said it was “absolutely opposed” to the project, even if it is seen as feasible by the Asian Development Bank.

Senior State Department official Steven Mann told a forum in Washington on Wednesday that the US administration remained “absolutely opposed” to pipelines involving Iran.

Pakistan has been involved in talks with Iran to get Iranian gas and the two sides struck a memorandum of understanding late last year to implement the project.—APP/Online