NEW DELHI, July 25: Indian Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar expressed the confidence on Monday that ‘political impediments’ in the path of the Iran gas pipeline would be overcome and that the project was very much on. He said he had explained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issues in the multi-billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, and asserted that there was no ‘doublespeak’ from the government on the project.

Mr Aiyar’s clarification coincided with remarks by Pakistan’s foreign spokesman who said Islamabad would go ahead with the project bilaterally with Iran in case India was not interested.

“I met the prime minister after he came back from the US. He has said that if all systems go, we are moving ahead with the pipeline project,” Mr Aiyar said on the sidelines of the National Petroleum Management Awards here.

Mr Aiyar sought to stress that Prime Minister Singh in his recent interview to the Washington Post had drawn the attention of the US towards the risks involved in the project.

“The Joint Working Group with Pakistan and the Special Working Group with Iran are meant towards minimising these risks,” Mr Aiyar was quoted by the United News of India as saying.

The prime minister’s critics, both from within his United Progressive Alliance and the BJP-led opposition, have questioned his views in an interview where he stated that the pipeline was ‘fraught’ with risks.

Mr Aiyar said given the overall political situation at present there might be some difficulties in materialising the project. “But, I am confident that we can overcome them,” he said.

About the route of the gas pipeline, Mr Aiyar said the route has not yet been finalized. He said India would not be just dependent on Iran for fulfilling its energy requirements.

“‘We can also get gas from Qatar, Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Australia and Malaysia. However, Iran’s position will always be one of the most important for us,” the UNI quoted him as saying.

Gas from Turkmenistan and Myanmar can be brought through pipelines, whereas from other places it will have to be brought through cryogenic ships, he added.

According to government estimates, India’s oil products demand is expected to touch 274 million tons in the next 20 years, while the requirement for gas will be around 400 million standard cubic metres per day.