Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project is under the US sanctions and talks are underway with Iranian side to avert the penalty of non-implementation of the agreement of the project. The foreign minister was briefing National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, saying that the IP gas pipeline project is commercially viable and Pakistan also requires gas to meet its energy requirements.
He said that an agreement with Iran has already been signed, but no company or consortium is ready to fund the project, fearing the US sanctions, as any company which resorts to fund the project comes under the sanctions. "It is not our fault but the project is under the US sanctions and we are in talks with Iran to avert the huge penalty amount [to be imposed in case of failure in proceeding on the gas project]," Qureshi said, adding that the government wants to make progress on multi-billion dollar IP gas pipeline project but there is third party hurdle in the form of sanctions against Iran.
Responding to queries by the committee members, the foreign minister said that the trade conflict between the US and China will adversely affect the trade of both the countries. He said that in case of US sanctions on China, China is expected to suffer $200 billion trade loss while the US is also likely to suffer a $ 60 billion trade loss. Briefing the committee about reported US visa sanctions on Pakistan, Qureshi rejected the impression, saying that the US has not imposed any visa restrictions against Pakistan, adding that the Foreign Office is in touch with the US authorities about an issue in repatriation of illegal Pakistani immigrants.
He said that the US visa restrictions are not imposed on Pakistani citizens, but only three Pakistani officials, including a joint secretary of the Interior Ministry, have suffered due to restrictions. Qureshi did not give a specific reason for the three officials being under the US visa restrictions, but stated that some Pakistanis who were residing in the US and were in possession of the old manual passports need a through verification process. He said that the US wants to expedite the process, but the Pakistani side wants that the process of repatriation is completed after the verification process.
He said the US is going to deport around 70 Pakistanis, adding that Pakistan has asked the US to fulfil legal requirements about the Pakistanis being deported. Qureshi also told the committee that he will pay a two-day visit to Kuwait on Saturday and will have meetings with the Kuwaiti leadership. He said he will also take a letter from Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Emir of Kuwait on visa issues. He said enhancement of bilateral trade will be discussed in the meetings, adding that the Emir of Qatar is also expected for visit Pakistan in near future.
About Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails, he said that the Saudi Crown Prince during his visit to Pakistan had promised to release 2,107 Pakistani prisoners who are in various Saudi jails under petty crimes. He said that the verification process of these prisoners is under way and once it is completed, they will be released. The committee also directed the Foreign Office to take stringent measures for early release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners detained in Saudi jails as promised by Saudi Crown Prince and provide them full assistance to remove procedural complications.
Updating the committee on the Chinese nationals allegedly involved in human trafficking, the foreign minister said that Chinese ambassador was called in to the Foreign Office recently to thoroughly discuss the issue. "While we are not oblivious of the issue, we also understand that there are elements funded for exaggerating such things to create misunderstanding between Pakistan and China," he said, adding that it is a sensitive issue and will be addressed very carefully.
Later, talking to media persons, Qureshi expressed concern over the tension between Iran and the US, saying it is impacting the entire region. He said that Pakistan is closely observing the situation and will formulate a strategy keeping in view its national interest. He said that the US and the European Union also have differences of opinion on the Iranian nuclear deal. "There are certain countries within Middle East who have their separate point of view vis-à-vis Iran...Pakistan is enjoying its relations with all these countries," he added.
In its recommendations, the committee directed that Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop proper liaison with Ministry of Commerce to enhance Pakistani exports as it had been observed that Pakistani Basmati rice was being sold under the Indian tag in international markets. The committee further directed that Pakistani ambassadors should evaluate the performance of commercial attachés in collaboration with Ministry of Commerce to achieve the targets set by the government.
Comments
Comments are closed.