FRIDAY MARCH 02: Pakistan vows to complete IP gas project: US pressure rejected

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting US pressure, Pakistan said Thursday it would pursue Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project "as it is vital to overcome country's energy crisis." Briefing reporters here, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that Pakistan pursuing important projects with Iran such as gas pipeline, electricity transmission, upgradation of connectivity and also building a more robust trade partnership between the two countries.
According to her, all of the projects are in Pakistan's national interest. Khar went on to say that Pakistan would pursue its co-operation with Tehran "which is an immediate neighbour," adding that Islamabad had repeatedly said that national interest would always remain its top priority.
"All our friends are encouraged to really understand Pakistan's energy crisis," she said, adding that the country was going through a serious energy crisis and it was in the national interest to seek energy from wherever it comes. "We cannot afford to be selective where we receive our energy supplies from," she added.
The remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threatened Pakistan with sanctions if the country continued to pursue Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. Testifying before the US House of Representatives sub-committee on Wednesday, Clinton said the US was encouraging Pakistan, which received billions of dollars annual aid from the United States, to seek alternatives such as a pipeline with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan.
However, when the Foreign Minister was asked a similar question, she said that Pakistan was also pursuing an alternative option, adding that in addition to multi-billion dollar project TAPI, Russia was also keen to invest in some other important projects.
To a question about US threats, Khar said that Pakistan was ready to face sanctions in the face of implementation of the IP gas pipeline project. "We will cross the bridge when we come to it," Khar stated in categorical terms in reply to a question whether the country could afford to annoy US. She, however, hoped that Pakistan would get a better and deeper understanding of the world and that it would not face "any music." She also hoped that these unilateral sanctions would not find the way to be implemented.
About reopening of Nato supplies, she said that Parliament would make the decision on restoration of Nato supplies to Afghanistan. To another query, Khar clarified that as decided by the Defence Committee of the Cabinet, the land route for Nato supplies was still blocked while there was no mention of air route.
Referring to her meeting with US Secretary of State Clinton, the Foreign Minister described the meeting in London as constructive. "There is a marked recognition to recalibrate our relations and build them based on mutual interest and mutual respect," she said, adding that it was also important that Pakistan's national interest, sovereignty, territorial integrity were respected.
She said Parliamentary committee on national security had prepared its recommendations on terms of engagement with the US, which would be discussed in the joint session of the Parliament. The session, she hoped, would be summoned in the second week of this month. Replying to a question about stopping US senior officials to visit Pakistan, the Foreign Minister said the policy would stay in force till the finalisation of a clear-cut policy vis-à-vis the United States.
Responding to a question regarding US concerns on Dr Shakeel Afridi who helped the US track down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Khar said that the case of Dr Afridi would be dealt with according to the law of land. About relations with India, Khar said Islamabad believed that normalisation of relations with New Delhi would be mutually beneficial to both the countries. She said Pakistan had always been supportive of regional connectivity and enhancement of collaboration with the region.
She also defended the negative list of 1209 items approved by the cabinet, saying in no way would it weaken Pakistan's principled stance on the core issue of Kashmir. "Pakistan wanted result-oriented dialogue with India to resolve all the issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir," she said. To a question, she said Pakistan would be supportive of any process which was Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-driven.
To another question whether Saudi Arabia supported Qatar talks, she said it was important that all immediate neighbours and the world community should play their due role towards the success of the Afghan-led reconciliation process. Referring to the recent Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran trilateral summit, she said that the summit would help foster regional stability and peace.
Khar said Pakistan wanted to pursue a peace track, which was in the interest of Afghans, adding that during her recent visit to Kabul, she made serious efforts to reach out to all the Afghan nationals and clarified that Pakistan wanted to pursue a peace track which was essentially in the interest of the Afghans.