Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline not abandoned: Pakistan Minister

Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan on Friday said that Pakistan has not abandoned the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and the country will pursue it once international sanctions are removed that are hindering the plan.

“A gas pipeline that is going to be laid from Gwadar to Nawabshah can be extended by 11 kilometers to Iran,” he told reporters in Karachi, according to the Express Tribune daily.

Pakistan and China are expected to sign a $3-billion gas pipeline deal during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

The minister was speaking at a ceremony organized to share details of the Pakistan-United States Business Opportunity Conference that will take place from March 10-12 in Islamabad. This will be the third such conference on trade relations between the two countries – the previous two were held in London and Dubai, respectively.

Khan said that the conference will bring over 150 leading US businesspersons to Islamabad, who will discuss possible opportunities to enhance bilateral trade.

US businesses representing agriculture, textiles and apparel, footwear, energy, surgical instruments, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and IT will attend the event.

The US is the largest export destination for Pakistan as 15-20% of total exports go to the US. During 2013, Pakistan’s exports to the US were $3.7 billion while its imports were $1.71 billion.

The US remains an important source of foreign direct investment (FDI) as $1.3 billion of FDI has come from Washington in the last seven years.