TEHRAN - Iran’s acting president Mohammad Mokhber says that Pakistani officials are expected to closely pursue the implementation of unfulfilled deals including the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project (IP) expressing Iran’s readiness for cooperation to remove the hurdles.

According to the news website of the Presidency Office, speaking with Pakistan's prime minister in a phone call, the acting president congratulated Eid al-Adha to Shahbaz Sharif calling the neighboring country a strategic partner.

Mokhber expressed hope that annual bilateral trade between the two neighboring countries would rise to 10 billion dollars, a target which was set during the late Iranian president Ibrahim Raisi’s visit to Pakistan early this year.

Calling Pakistan a strategic partner, Mokhber also stressed the necessity of boosting bilateral relations in all aspects including political, economic, and cultural by relying on all existing potentials.

Sharif reciprocally congratulated Eid al-Adha describing Iran-Pakistan relations as old, historic, and based on deep cultural and religious ties expressing interest in consolidating bilateral relations with Iran, especially mutual economic relations.

Pakistani prime minister said that the late Iranian president's visits to Pakistan opened a new chapter in reinforcing relations between the two neighboring countries stressing Islam Abad's commitment to the accurate implementation of those deals including raising bilateral trade to 10 billion dollars and removing the hurdles on the way of IP implementation.

Back in March, the Iranian ambassador to Islamabad said that the country’s capable technical and engineering companies are prepared to contribute to the construction of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.

Reza Amiri-Moghaddam made the remarks in a visit to the port city of Karachi in southern Pakistan, where he met with Chief Minister of Sindh province Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Underlining the importance of the pipeline for transferring Iran’s gas to Pakistan, Amiri-Moghaddam described the recent decision by the Islamabad government to finalize the country’s share of the gas pipeline as significant, noting that Iranian firms are ready to cooperate in this respect.

The ambassador also said that Iran’s railways and roads capacities are available to be used for the development of regional transportation projects such as helping Pakistan reach European and Central Asian markets.

The Pakistani chief minister, for his part, said that the completion of the gas pipeline benefits Pakistan and seems to be a suitable option to assist the country overcome the energy crisis.

The IP pipeline will allow Pakistan to start receiving 750 million cubic feet of gas from Iran daily once the pipeline is completed and commissioned.

Although Iran completed the section of the pipeline in its territory, the Pakistan side failed to do its share due to the U.S. sanctions and lack of funding for the project.

In February 2019, Tehran notified Islamabad of its intention to move forward with arbitration court proceedings for not constructing the pipeline in Pakistan’s territory within the specified time frame under the IP gas line project and invoked the penalty clause of the Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA).

In September 2019, Pakistan’s Inter-State Gas Systems (ISGS) and the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) signed a revised agreement for the pipeline’s construction, which stipulates that neither Iran nor Pakistan will take the other to court for delays or impose fines until 2024.

Last month, Islamabad finally gave the green light to advance much-delayed work on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline within its territory.

The approval comes as Pakistan has scrambled to avoid a staggering 18-billion-dollar fine, with the government authorizing the commencement of long-awaited work on the initial 80-kilometer phase within its borders.

Analysts say the project will improve Pakistan's energy security and support regional industries by providing stable and enhanced gas supplies.

Iran has extended the project deadline by 180 days until September 2024 to avoid a legal dispute with Pakistan at international tribunals.

EF/