Zardari to request Ahmadinejad to lower IPI gas price

ISLAMABAD President Zardari will make a special request to his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to lower the demanded price of gas from the $7.6billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline project when he will visitTehran on March 10.

The Iranian authorities have given a March 19 deadline to Pakistan to agree to price of gas. Iran has been demanding 78 per cent of the international crude oil price, which is considered too expensive to be accepted by Pakistan. Sources in the Ministry of Petroleum said President Zardari, who will be accompanied by Advisor to Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Queshi, will seek special concessions in the gas purchase agreement which Iran has proposed and so far is strictly pursuing, directly from Ahmadinejad. They said the president will request his Iranian counterpart to bring down gas price from current levels to 68-70 per cent of the international crude oil price. Sources said the Iranian president will also be told that even at this price Pakistan’s domestic and industrial would not be able to afford this expensive gas.