Former secretary Petroleum Dr Gulfraz appreciated statement of Hina Rabbani Khar on Pak-Iran gas pipeline and hoped Pakistan would soon start work on the project. Talking to a private news channel on Thursday, he said energy crisis in Pakistan would continue until Pak-Iran gas pipeline project was completed. There was no alternative to bring gas in Pakistan, he added.
He said LNG was too expensive and it could not fulfil the demand of gas so Pak-Iran gas pipeline project was the only solution to the energy crisis. As far as hurdles were concerned, this project was only between Pakistan and Iran and there should be no obstacle in its implementation, he added. To another question, he said India has temporarily withdrawn from the project because it had signed agreement with the US with regard to civil nuclear programme to meet its energy crisis.
Dr Gulfraz said Turkmenistan gas pipeline project was linked with security of Afghanistan and "we should construct Iran gas pipeline as early as possible." "We should also pursue Turkmenistan gas pipeline project because after ten years Pakistan will need more energy," he added.