Iran gas pipe project viable even without India: Pak

Pakistan has said the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline will remain viable even if India opted out of the project.

"A gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan is viable even if India pulls out of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project," Ahmed Waqar, secretary of the petroleum and natural resources ministry said.

His comments come close on the heels of India voting in favour of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution on Iran's nuclear programme.

"If India remains part of the project, its viability increases manifold but it will be still viable if India stayed out," Waqar who has been holding talks with his Indian counterparts for the past several months in the special joint group formed by both the countries was quoted by daily Times as saying.

The speculation over possible rupture of Iran-India ties over the IAEA vote in the Pakistan media has died down after Tehran clarified that its energy deals with India stood and friends could not be judged by a single vote.

Meanwhile, reports here said the US was considering a proposal to help Pakistan meet its energy needs as part of its efforts to wean India and Pakistan away from building a pipeline for bringing gas from Iran, officials said.

US officials told a group of journalists from south Asia touring Washington that the US offer of cooperation on the civilian nuclear technology to India was also part of its efforts to "stop" the construction of the proposed pipeline.

"They (US officials) have not ruled out helping Pakistan meet its energy needs," Dawn quoted Pakistan's Charge de Affairs in Washington Mohammed Sadiq as saying.

Asked if the US offer would also include civilian nuclear reactors, Sadiq said, "It includes both conventional and non-conventional sources of energy."

However, the Pakistan foreign office said the US had not made any formal offer to Pakistan on meeting the latter's energy needs if it stayed away from the trilateral gas pipeline project with Iran.

Tasneem Aslam, acting spokeswoman of Pakistan foreign office, said the government had not received any such offer from the US and the foreign office could not comment on the issue on a mere newspaper statement. "We will respond only when the US informs us about its plan through diplomatic channels."

In Islamabad, when asked about the prospects of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project in view of the Indian vote against Iran in the IAEA, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri said so far there had been no negative indications.

He said Pakistan wanted a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear programme issue and it had adopted a common position on it with the Asian and African blocs at the IAEA.