Abdul Hadi Mayar Islamabad
Pakistan wants to resolve the Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline issue with Iran through bilateral channels, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said on Thursday.
Answering a question about Iran’s bid to approach the Paris Arbitration Court on Pakistan’s failure to meet its commitments on completion of its part of Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline within the stipulated time, she said, “our legal team is reviewing legal implications of taking the issue to the Paris Arbitration Court.”
Iran issued a final notice to Pakistan the previous day before ending of the next month deadline for laying of its part of the gas pipeline project, threatening to approach the Paris Arbitration Court in case of failure. “Our channels of communication are also open with Iran,” she asserted. On a question about Afghan government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid’s offer to mediate between Pakistan and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Baloch ruled out any talks with TTP and demanded of the Afghan government to take action against all terrorist groups present in Afghanistan.
“We have kept open channels of interaction with Kabul and intelligence reports about the Afghan soil being used by TTP have been shared with the Afghan government through these channels,” she said, adding that the presence of terrorist groups, including the TTP, on the Afghan soil have been confirmed even in UN reports.
