Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called out the intervention of big powers (read the US) amid threats from the US state department to impose sanctions on the South Asian nation if it moved ahead to complete the much-delayed Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline project.
"The government will find a way to complete the Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Project. There is instability in the region and the intervention of big powers has increased," he told Pakistani news channel Geo TV in an interview on Thursday.
The minister added that "regional stakeholders must gather on a common platform to protect their interests" amid interference from Western nations in their affairs.
Asif's comments are significant, considering that the US appears hellbent on stopping Islamabad from finishing the project.
Earlier in the week, the US State Department threatened Pakistan with severe economic sanctions if it did "business with Iran."
"We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions. But ultimately, govt of Pakistan can speak to their own foreign policy pursuits," Vedant Patel, the US State Department spokesperson told reporters during a media briefing on Tuesday.
Iran and Pakistan signed an agreement to construct a gas pipeline between the two Islamic sovereign states in 2010.
Under the agreement, Tehran was to supply natural gas amounting to 750 million to a billion cubic feet daily to Pakistan to aid the neighboring nation in fulfilling its energy requirements.
However, the project faced constant hurdles due to Pakistan's inability to keep its side of the bargain.
While Iran spent $2 billion to build the pipeline stretching as long as 1,150 km inside its territory, the 781 km to be constructed in Pakistan remained a non-starter for over a decade.