After Saturday's blast, Iran asks Pak to ensure IPI pipeline security

Islamabad, Sept 22 : After India, Iran has also reportedly expressed serious concerns over the security situation in Pakistan, and asked Islamabad to make enough security arrangements for the billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project.

The demand came a day after Saturday's bombing in which at least 60 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

According to sources, in the Petroleum Ministry, Iran has demanded of Pakistan to include a provision on security in the Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) for the gas pipeline project. With such a provision in the IPI gas pipeline project, Tehran would be able to suspend gas supply to Pakistan in case of 'a security incident' in the country, the Daily Times quoted the sources as saying.

They claimed that Pakistan had earlier assured Iran in writing it would provide security to the IPI pipeline. However, the Iranian government had now raised a fresh demand for security, after the Saturday's suicide attack at a premier hotel.

They said that a 900-km long pipeline would be laid in Pakistan to transmit gas imported from Iran to the Indian border. A 787-km long pipeline would be laid in Balochistan, while a 113-km pipeline would pass through Nawabshah district in Sindh to the Indian border.

The sources said that India had wanted the entry point of the gas supply on the Indo-Pak border, but Pakistan insisted on the supply of gas on the Pak-Iran border. They said Iran had also backed the Pakistani government's stance on the entry point of gas to India.

India has also asked Pakistan to link the revision of gas prices with changes in gas prices in international markets, the sources said. Earlier, Iran had agreed in the GSPA draft to link the gas price with the Japan Crude Cocktail, which gets revised after four years.

ANI