Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iran and Pakistan will sign two crucial agreements on the multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project that also involves India within two months.A gas purchase pact and an inter-governmental framework agreement will be signed in two months by the two countries.
Pakistan will also engage an international consultancy firm to conduct a feasibility study on its section of the project. The firm will carry out a feasibility study within Pakistan’s borders and submit a report by the first quarter of next year, a news channel reported today.
Iran and Pakistan recently held two-day technical-level talks in Islamabad on the gas purchase agreement and other legal aspects of the project.
A working group of Iran and Pakistan will meet in Tehran on December 17 to follow up on the technical talks. “India is not a part of the dialogue at this stage but we hope it will join the discussions later,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said yesterday.
Officials were quoted by the channel as saying today that 40 per cent of the construction of the pipeline within Iran had been completed to supply gas to Pakistan’s eastern provinces.
The channel quoted unnamed Iranian officials as saying that they were still hoping to include India in the project.
Pakistan is considering two routes for the pipeline one from Quetta in Baluchistan province to Rahimyar Khan in Punjab province and another to the southern port city of Karach via Sukkur in Sindh province.
