Pakistan Rejects US Pressure
Sajjad Ahmad
By Sajjad Shaukat
By rejecting US growing pressure and defying the threat of sanctions, on March 11, this year, Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated the much-delayed section of a $7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
President Ahmadinejad hailed that work on the pipeline project was going ahead despite US-led international sanctions against Iran. Hinting towards the US, he accused foreign elements of undermining Irans relations with Pakistan and to thwart its progress by using its nuclear programme as a pretext. In his address, President Zardari regarded the pipeline project as very important for Pakistan, adding that the prosperity of Pakistan and Iran was inter-linked and that the former was striving to become self-reliant.
Iran has completed 900 km of pipeline on its side of the border and Iranian contractors will also construct the pipeline in Pakistan. In this regard, Tehran has also agreed to lend Islamabad 500 million dollarscost of the 750 km Pakistani section of the pipeline.
The project has faced delays since it was conceived in 1990s to connect Irans giant South Pars gas field to India via Pakistan. Due to its pro-American tilt, India did not sign this gas pipeline project. Therefore, Islamabad and Tehran continued talks on the project.
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