Tehran, Iran, November 5
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Pakistan has not yet promised any specific time to finish the gas pipeline and start importing gas from Iran and Iran is only putting up with Islamabad to find a new investor, CEO of the National Iranian Gas Exports Company (NIGEC) Alireza Kameli said, IRNA news agency reported.
Five months have passed since Iran's last negotiation with Pakistan, during which an agreement was reached with China to build the terminal and the 700-kilometer pipeline.
Tehran does not care what company or country Islamabad will have to do the job, what is important is that it is finished, Kameli added.
Pakistan used to shun away from completing the pipeline by saying that it could not find any investors because Iran was under sanctions.
According to a contract the two sides have signed for the project, Iran has not promised Pakistan any financial investment.
Kameli said that Iran has never considered punishing Pakistan for delaying the project. Signed in 2008, the contract stated that gas export via the pipeline should have started by December 2014.
While Iran has nearly finished its part of the pipeline, Pakistan only ceremonially brick laid the project in 2012.
A while ago, Iran said talks were arranged to be held with Pakistan both to give the country more time to finish the project and to revise some parts of the contract.
The 2700-kilometer long pipe was to carry gas to Pakistan and India.
The contract says that a daily amount of 150 million cubic meters of gas should be exported via the pipeline, 60 million cubic meters of which should go to Pakistan and the rest to India.