Islamabad, Oct 24: Pakistan has accepted an offer from Tehran to build a gas pipeline from Iran to South Asia, and said it would guarantee India an uninterrupted gas supply if it joined the project.
Prime minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali made the pledge during a three-day visit to Tehran, a senior Petroleum Ministry Official said today on condition of anonymity.
But Jamali said the project would still go ahead if India declined to be involved.
"The gas pipeline was to go to India via Pakistan. Since India is hesitating, Iran has offered to lay a gas pipeline between Pakistan and Iran, and we have accepted it," Jamali told a news conference after returning late yesterday. India remains reluctant to leave itself dependent on Pakistan to ensure a secure supply of a vital resource, fearing the flow of gas could be severed during any escalation of hostilities.
But the latest discussion, reviving a proposal first raised in 1996, comes at a time when India and Pakistan are taking steps to improve relations and expand contacts between their citizens. On wednesday, India offered a 12-point plan to increase travel and sporting ties. Bureau Report