Pakistan vowed on Monday to go ahead with the US$7 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project despite opposition from the United States.
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher last week reiterated Washington's opposition to the gas pipeline project in Islamabad and advised Islamabad to turn to Central Asia for its energy needs.
"We repeatedly have said that we have energy requirements and we find this pipeline feasible,”Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam told reporters in Islamabad.
"We are determined to pursue the project of Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline," she added.
Under the proposed project, a pipeline of around 2,000 kilometers is to be laid, initially carrying 60 million cubic meters of Iranian gas to energy-hungry Pakistan and India. The pipeline capacity would later be increased to 150 million cubic meters.
Pakistan, which is desperately relying on the project to meet its rising energy requirements, is under pressure from Washington for opting for another Iran-excluding Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan- India gas pipeline project.
The US has also offered Pakistan technology for alternative sources of energy.
"Energy supply for Pakistan we recognize is a very important question. We have tried to help Pakistan deal with its energy problem and develop new energy sources without relying on a country like Iran, which is not very reliable," Boucher told Aaj TV channel in an interview.
(Deutsche Press-Agentur )