Alwaght- Pakistan says it sees no basis for the US objection to Islamabad's decision to resume work on a pipeline that will transfer gas from Iran to the country.
Late last month, Muhammad Ali, Pakistan’s caretaker energy minister, said work on 80 kilometers (49 miles) of the pipeline that lies in the Pakistani territory would be carried out. Washington has opposed the project, dubbed peace pipeline, claiming it could violate the illegal sanctions that it has imposed on Tehran.
On Thursday, the spokeswoman to the Pakistani foreign minister said "the cabinet of Pakistan decided, a few days ago, to start work on 80 kilometers of Pakistan-Iran pipeline, and this is the beginning of construction of the pipeline and it is in conformity with our commitment to the Iran-Pakistan pipeline."
And since this pipeline is being constructed inside Pakistani territory, we do not believe there is room for any objections by any third party at this stage," she added.
The $7.5-billion project for 2,775-kilometer (1,724 mi) pipeline has faced repeated delays since it was conceived in the 1990s to connect Iran’s giant South Pars gas field to consumers in energy-hungry Pakistan and India.
On February 23, Pakistan approved construction of part of the pipeline amid fears of a potential $18 billion penalty for failing to complete the project on time.
The project, launched in 2013, required Pakistan to finish the construction of the pipeline on its territory by the end of 2014.
India, unlike Pakistan, quit the project in 2009, citing costs and security issues — a year after it signed a nuclear deal with Washington.
