President Asif Ali Zardari will visit Iran on March 11 to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Moazzam Khan said that several world leaders have also been invited to join President Zaradri and the Iranian President at the ceremony.
Khan during the weekly press briefing said that the multi-billion gas pipeline is in the national interest of Pakistan as the country faces acute shortage of gas.
Despite strong opposition by the United States and possible sanctions, President Zardari had said last week that his energy- starved country will pursue the gas pipeline project and will persuade the critics that Pakistan needs energy. Pakistan and Iran have held a series of talks on the project for nearly two decades but it was finalized during Zardari’s recent visit to Tehran.
Both countries had agreed to complete the project by mid-2014.
Iran has already laid down the pipeline in its territory while the laying of 785-km long Pakistani section will start shortly. Pakistan plans to import 21.5 million cubic meters of gas daily from Iran through the pipeline