Qatar crisis: Pakistan to continue import of LNG from Qatar

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Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Islamabad will continue to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar under a 15-year agreement, despite the severing of diplomatic ties with Qatar by Saudi Arabia and some other countries.

Abbasi said Qatar and Pakistan last year signed a $1 billion agreement, under which Qatar’s Liquefied Gas Company Limited will sell LNG from 2016 to the year 2031 to state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

He said since no sanctions have been imposed on Qatar by the United Nations, Pakistan and Qatar were bound to abide by the agreement.

Qatar has released an initial report into the alleged hack of its state-run news agency, an incident which helped spark a diplomatic crisis between the energy-rich country and Arab nations.

The Qatari Interior Ministry said late Wednesday that the website of the Qatar News Agency was initially hacked in April with “high techniques and innovative methods.”

It said hackers installed a file and then published a fake news item attributed to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani just after midnight May 24.

The ministry did not say who it suspected carried out the attack. It also thanked the FBI and the British National Commission for Combating Crime for assisting it in its investigation.

The alleged fake news item, which had Sheikh Tamim making controversial comments on Iran and Israel, immediately was picked up by Saudi and Emirati media, laying the groundwork for the crisis that began Monday.

Kuwait’s emir has travelled to Qatar and met that country’s leader as part of his efforts to mediate an end to a crisis that’s seen Arab nations cut ties to the energy-rich country and attempt to isolate it.

Kuwait’s Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was met planeside by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, when he arrived on Wednesday night.

The two held talks, though details of their discussions were not released. Sheikh Sabah earlier Wednesday travelled to Dubai where he met with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as prime minister and vice president of the UAE.

Sheikh Sabah has also travelled to Saudi Arabia in his efforts.

FO EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER QATAR CRISIS:

Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said Thursday that Pakistan has serious concerns over the growing tension between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Speaking at the weekly briefing at the Foreign Office, he said Pakistan wants a coalition of Muslim countries.