Pak MP: Govt. must complete IP at earliest, no more obstacles

EghtesadOnline: Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) urges the government to complete Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project as early as possible to bring stability in the region.

News ID: ۷۷۱۴۰۸

17 November 2016

In an interview with IRNA, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said the biggest hurdle of American sanctions in the project has been removed, so the government should complete its side of the pipeline on fast track and make the connectivity a living reality.

“My advice to Pakistani government is that the biggest road block in the IP project was the American sanctions, now the Americans have even officially informed us at least the Obama administration that they are not opposed to the IP gas pipeline, so now the government of Pakistan should complete our side of the pipeline on fast track and make the connectivity a living reality as sooner it is done the better it would be,” said the Senator.

He said during his visit to Washington as special envoy of the Prime Minister on Kashmir, he mentioned to the highest policy advisers in Washington, White House and State department and also the think tanks for new alliance in Asia.

“There are now new realities in the region which is now emerging as what we call a greater south Asia woven together by economy, energy, ports and pipelines and I also specially mentioned the role of Iran, China, Afghanistan, Pakistan over there and also I said that India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan have to work together,” he said.

He noted that the previous policies of trying to contain a country like China or isolate Iran which was in the past have failed, these countries are part of the solution to the problems and they have to work together ‘and my idea of new Asian organization was very well received there because we are talking of being inclusive not divisive and that is the future.’

“I was very happy when President Rouhani and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met in New York on 22nd September and said there would be complementarity between Chabahar and Gwadar, President Rouhani also mentioned that Iran would like to be part of the CPEC and the security of Pakistan is the security of Iran and we feel that security of Iran is the security of Pakistan,” he said.

The lawmaker added the energy of Iran could go to China through CPEC, ‘for us the crucial thing is Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and I also made a proposal which is very important that we want India to rejoin the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline which was originally Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline. We feel India should rejoin the project, that will give us the closer cooperation and Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline including Russia, including China will enlarge the scope of the CPEC because it is all about energy cooperation.’