The long-pending Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project inched closer to reality on Monday with the launch its final phase under which a 781-km-long pipeline would be laid on the Pakistan side of the border. To run from Iran’s border to Nawabshah in Sindh, the pipeline’s construction was inaugurated in the Iranian port city of Chabahar by the Presidents of the two countries.
Signalling the importance that Pakistan attaches to the pipeline despite reservations expressed by the U.S., President Asif Ali Zardari took along with him a 300-strong delegation. Though several heads of state had been invited, reports from Chabahar point to a no-show.“The completion of the pipeline is in the interest of peace, security and progress of the two countries. It will consolidate the economic, political and security ties of the two nations,” said the Presidents in a joint statement....