Pakistan has expressed willingness to complete the long-delayed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.
According to IRNA, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has instructed his foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, to take necessary measures to carry out the development project.
"Imran Khan has ordered a review of gas prices and (told his government) to work jointly with Iran to complete the IP pipeline project," IRNA reported on Tuesday.
According to the prime minister, the sanctions on Iran are the biggest hurdle to the mega project.
He has reportedly sought consultation from the European Union over legal issues of the pipeline.
Pakistan’s Minister of Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan recently said the premier intends to complete the long-delayed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.
For years the two neighbors have been struggling to complete the gas pipeline to help resolve Pakistan’s mounting electricity problems.
The IP pipeline project - also called Peace Pipeline - is a 1,957 km pipeline intended to supply natural gas from Iran’s South Pars fields to Pakistan's two major cities -- Karachi and Multan.
Iran has fulfilled its commitment regarding construction of the gas pipeline inside its territory and is waiting for Islamabad to do its share.
Pakistan needs Iran gas to feed its power plants and help improve its power sector that is long struggling with chronic electricity shortages.
According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, the country's power sector is prone to every problem imaginable despite attempts by successive governments to fix the system and provide some relief to the populace.
Imran Khan visited Iran last month and conferred with the Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.
