Sweden opposed the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project on Friday, asking Islamabad to go for an alternative project with Turkmenistan. Sources said that Sweden had opposed Pakistan’s cooperation with Iran in the face of the international community’s concerns over the latter’s nuclear programme. Earlier, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) backed off from providing financial assistance, worth $ 1.5 billion, for the completion of this 800-kilometer-long gas pipeline project. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had said earlier this week that funding was not an issue for IP as there were other sources available to finance the project. According to the agreement signed in 2009, Iran would supply 750 million cubic feet of gas per day to Pakistan.
Honorable foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar should have elaborated who else is going to finance IP gas pipeline project in the midst of international pressure for not going ahead on the project and the sinking Pakistan economy.
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