Iran-Pak-Indo pipeline project on: Aiyar

Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar today said the government was pursuing the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.

He denied any differences between him and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue. Replying to a question, Aiyar told the Lok Sabha today that there was no American "pressure" on India regarding the pipeline but confirmed that at least two US officials had expressed reservations over the project.

He said there was "genuine US pressure" in the period after the nuclear tests in 1998 and that Jaswant Singh, who was the external affairs minister then, had said there was no way India could agree to an overland pipeline project unless some fundamentals were agreed upon.

But in 1995-96, Aiyar and Singh, who were part of a special group for "track-two" diplomacy with Pakistan, had held three rounds of talks with Pakistan.