Zeeshan S.
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After Washington and capitals of six other world powers reached an agreement with Tehran in Geneva over easing out sanctions regime on Iran, chances to get the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline back on track have now brightened.
While Iran gets ample relief and money, experts are of the view that authorities concerned in Pakistan should assess the positive impact of the big deal on Pakistan and try to find out whether Iran would be able to finance the pipeline as promised earlier.
While Pakistan along with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and India has signed the Transaction Advisory Services Agreement (TASA) with Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Ashgabat to give a physical shape to TAPI gas line, but this project will be executed some time in 2017.
However, the IP project is financially and technically more viable which is to get completed by December 2014 would provide solace to the energy starved country.
Pakistan is now taking advantage of the nuke deal and Sartaj Aziz is reported to be flying to Teheran soon, it is high time for the authorities in Pakistan to arrange financing from Chinese and Russian companies which wanted to fund and lay down the pipeline, but were hesitant to come forward in the wake of US sanctions.
Now in the new scenario, the concerned officials of the Nawaz government shouldn’t sit idle, rather they should swing into action and renew their contacts with said companies.
Mr Ahmer Bilal Soofi, an eminent international law expert says that US sanctions would still remain there unless and until, US congress introduces the changes in the sanctions law. “We have to wait for the changes to be introduced by the US in the sanctions law and then we will be able to exactly tell how the easing out of the US curbs on Iran will provide relief to Pakistan in arranging the finances required to complete the laying down of the pipeline in the its territory from MP 250, a point at the Pak-Iran border, to Nawabshah.
“However, I expect positive outcome of the US-Iran deal on IP project, but I cannot tell the specific impact unless the whole contents of the deal get public,” Soofi maintained.Mr Soofi said that there is a need to look at the US sanctions law against Iran and also need to know what the new agreement is. “Under the sanctions, we also need to know the impact of the easing of the US curbs on selective, territorial and regional sanctions.”
Well-known and eminent energy expert Mr Arshad H Abbasi associated with Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) says all the policymakers should think about Pakistan first.
He said IP gas line project is in the supreme interest of the country, but authorities in Pakistan should re-negotiate the price of gas as suggested in the latest study of the SDPI on the IP gas line.
However, one of the top officials of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources who is dealing with the IP project says that the commitment of Pakistan about IP project is very much there, but because of sanctions it got slowed down and at one time Pakistan had to ask Iran to come up with financial help to execute the project on time arguing it was the Iran and its nuclear programme owing to which Pakistan was not able to arrange the finances for the project.
Then Iran came forward and committed to provide $500 million credit line to Pakistan for laying down the pipeline, but authorities in Pakistan after the dethroning of Zardari regime, asked for the $2 billion credit line from Iran for completing the project.
Then a statement from Iranian energy minister came in that announced that Iran has broadened the project. After that, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar met with Iranian counterpart on the side lines of the annual meting of IMF at Washington where Iranian minister told that his country will not provide the committed $500 million as it economy does not allow.
Now in the new scenario, Pakistan should swiftly act and renew its contact with Iran and companies of China and Russia. There are more news emanating from Iran showing that it wants China and India to become part of IP gas line project.
Pakistan has very short time left with it as the IP project is scheduled to be commissioned by December 2014. Pakistan also needs to renegotiate with Iran on extending the deadline of the project.
Once the project gets streamlined, it will inject 750 mmcfd gas into Pakistan’s system. Pakistan is currently facing a huge gas deficit of over 2 billion cubic feet per day as its production stands at 4.2 billion cubic feet. The import of gas from Iran will help ease the gas deficit in the country to a reasonable level.
How can Pakistan benefit from US-Iran nuke deal? - thenews.com.pk
While Iran gets ample relief and money, experts are of the view that authorities concerned in Pakistan should assess the positive impact of the big deal on Pakistan and try to find out whether Iran would be able to finance the pipeline as promised earlier.
While Pakistan along with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and India has signed the Transaction Advisory Services Agreement (TASA) with Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Ashgabat to give a physical shape to TAPI gas line, but this project will be executed some time in 2017.
However, the IP project is financially and technically more viable which is to get completed by December 2014 would provide solace to the energy starved country.
Pakistan is now taking advantage of the nuke deal and Sartaj Aziz is reported to be flying to Teheran soon, it is high time for the authorities in Pakistan to arrange financing from Chinese and Russian companies which wanted to fund and lay down the pipeline, but were hesitant to come forward in the wake of US sanctions.
Now in the new scenario, the concerned officials of the Nawaz government shouldn’t sit idle, rather they should swing into action and renew their contacts with said companies.
Mr Ahmer Bilal Soofi, an eminent international law expert says that US sanctions would still remain there unless and until, US congress introduces the changes in the sanctions law. “We have to wait for the changes to be introduced by the US in the sanctions law and then we will be able to exactly tell how the easing out of the US curbs on Iran will provide relief to Pakistan in arranging the finances required to complete the laying down of the pipeline in the its territory from MP 250, a point at the Pak-Iran border, to Nawabshah.
“However, I expect positive outcome of the US-Iran deal on IP project, but I cannot tell the specific impact unless the whole contents of the deal get public,” Soofi maintained.Mr Soofi said that there is a need to look at the US sanctions law against Iran and also need to know what the new agreement is. “Under the sanctions, we also need to know the impact of the easing of the US curbs on selective, territorial and regional sanctions.”
Well-known and eminent energy expert Mr Arshad H Abbasi associated with Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) says all the policymakers should think about Pakistan first.
He said IP gas line project is in the supreme interest of the country, but authorities in Pakistan should re-negotiate the price of gas as suggested in the latest study of the SDPI on the IP gas line.
However, one of the top officials of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources who is dealing with the IP project says that the commitment of Pakistan about IP project is very much there, but because of sanctions it got slowed down and at one time Pakistan had to ask Iran to come up with financial help to execute the project on time arguing it was the Iran and its nuclear programme owing to which Pakistan was not able to arrange the finances for the project.
Then Iran came forward and committed to provide $500 million credit line to Pakistan for laying down the pipeline, but authorities in Pakistan after the dethroning of Zardari regime, asked for the $2 billion credit line from Iran for completing the project.
Then a statement from Iranian energy minister came in that announced that Iran has broadened the project. After that, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar met with Iranian counterpart on the side lines of the annual meting of IMF at Washington where Iranian minister told that his country will not provide the committed $500 million as it economy does not allow.
Now in the new scenario, Pakistan should swiftly act and renew its contact with Iran and companies of China and Russia. There are more news emanating from Iran showing that it wants China and India to become part of IP gas line project.
Pakistan has very short time left with it as the IP project is scheduled to be commissioned by December 2014. Pakistan also needs to renegotiate with Iran on extending the deadline of the project.
Once the project gets streamlined, it will inject 750 mmcfd gas into Pakistan’s system. Pakistan is currently facing a huge gas deficit of over 2 billion cubic feet per day as its production stands at 4.2 billion cubic feet. The import of gas from Iran will help ease the gas deficit in the country to a reasonable level.
How can Pakistan benefit from US-Iran nuke deal? - thenews.com.pk