Bloomberg: Pakistan Also Wins From Iran Deal as Gas Pipeline Gets New Life
Pakistan is also among the winners from the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
A gas pipeline between the neighboring countries first discussed in the 1990s will finally become a reality, Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in a phone interview. Pakistan will start building its side of the pipeline in September, with a Chinese company doing the work.
“It’s good they have reached an agreement,” Abbasi said on Tuesday. “The work was stopped because of sanctions.”
Pakistan desperately needs the gas to help alleviate power shortages that have wreaked havoc on its economy. The pipeline had become a diplomatic sore point, with Iran last year threatening penalties if Pakistan didn’t start construction.
Pakistan will complete an 80-kilometer (50-km) section within six months after sanctions are lifted, Abbasi said. The entire 800 kilometers of the pipeline in Pakistan will be finished in about 30 months, he said. MORE