ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Pakistani lawmakers are expected to move forward with approval for the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline by September despite mounting pressure from Washington.
Negotiations for the IPI pipeline have limped along for decades. Iran and Pakistan in June signed bilateral agreements on the pipeline, though pricing terms and insecurity along the intended route continue to plague development.
Iran will supply more than 750 million cubic feet of gas per day for the Pakistani generation of some 5,000 megawatts of energy under the terms of the 25-year contract.
Islamabad faces sharp criticism from U.S. officials over the deal, as Washington opposes any project that provides an economic benefit to a sanction-laden Tehran.
Both Iran and Pakistan, however, are set to put the June agreement before their respective parliaments, with approval expected before Sept. 5, the Pakistani Daily Mail reports.
Meanwhile, Asim Hussain, the top energy adviser to Islamabad, said he would move in favor of domestic companies to conduct the necessary work on the proposed 1,724-mile pipeline.
"We have the requisite expertise to perform such work and would in the process also save a considerable amount of money," he commented.
The IPI pipeline would stretch from the Iranian South Pars gas condensate field in the Persian Gulf through Pakistan and on to India.
