Iran gas pipeline to bypass Pakistan

Iran gas pipeline to bypass Pakistan

NEW DELHI: India will bypass Pakistan as it pursues a multi-
billion-dollar gas pipeline project with Iran, Petroleum Minister
Ram Naik said.

Naik said the pipeline from Iran to India would bypass their
mutual neighbour Pakistan by going through the sea. He said he
would travel to Iran within three months to discuss the deal.

"We have not spoken to Pakistan on this and we are not going
to talk to them," Naik told parliament.

"We have to buy from Iran; there is no proposal to get it
overland. It can come through the sea route," he said.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami pressed for progress on the
pipeline deal during a visit to New Delhi last month. India
imports most of the oil and gas required for its billion-plus
population.

Discussions on the pipeline -- estimated to cost US$3.5
billion -- began in 1994, but progress has been slow due to
tensions between India and Pakistan and the project's high price
tag.

India has fought three wars with Pakistan and is worried its
arch-enemy may use the pipeline as a political tool, shutting off
supply during the neighbours' frequent crises. -- AFP