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Pakistan has no objection to Indo-Iran gas pipeline

Pakistan said on Friday that it has no objection to the laying of a gas pipeline between India and Iran which would pass through its territory.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an interactive session organised by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), Pakistan Commerce Minister Abdul Razzak Dawood said that though the issue was not specifically taken up during discussions with his Indian counterpart "we have said we have no objections to it".

"I was in Iran last month during our inter-ministerial summit and we have told Iran that we have no objections to the gas pipeline project," he said.

In response to a query on how long it would take for the project to begin Dawood said, "that will take some time. I have been given to understand that the Indian side is currently doing the feasibility study of the project. It is a very large project".

Asked if Pakistan was keen to sell its surplus power to India, Dawood said, "we had a surplus position but now we are getting into such a situation that in about a year's time we will not have surplus power".

"I would not recommend any discussion on selling power to India. In the last one year we have not set up a single power plant. It will take at least two years for new plants to be set up. We are facing a situation where we could be in a shortage", he added. The Pakistani minister also said that his government had no objections in allowing Pakistani businessmen to have access to surplus production of Propylene being produced by the petrochemical complex in Gujarat.

"We know that you have put up a very large refinery in Gujarat. Why should not the Pakistani businessmen have access to the surplus being produced by the petrochemical complex? No harm in it; We will allow it," Dawood said.

He also said that Pakistan was in talks with China to import electronic locomotive diesel engines. "We have last month signed a deal with China to finance this. After some time we will begin manufacturing this locally".

"As in India, we in Pakistan are also rehabilitating our railways and going back to upgradaing our railways by bringing in new equipment and rolling stock", he added.

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