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ISLAMABAD: Opposition against the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project intensified internationally on Friday as Sweden joined the United States camp by opposing the project, DawnNews reported.
Sweden has not only opposed the project but it said a proposed US backed pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan — Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) —project was also not viable.
Sweden was critical of Iran's nuclear program and said that the country needs to come clean over the reservations shown by the international community on its nuclear ambition.
The IP project hit a snag when a consortium led by the Chinese bank expressed its inability to arrange funds for the project.
The Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain stated this to the National Assembly session on Thursday.
However, he said sufficient funds generated through gas surcharge were available to complete the project from indigenous resources by the end of 2014.
Pakistan, facing a severe energy crisis, was determined to complete the project by 2014.
