Pakistan, Iran Mulling Converting Gas Pipeline Project into 'Bilateral Treaty'

Pakistan and Iran may convert their agreement on the gas pipeline project into a ‘bilateral treaty’ to avoid being hit by US sanctions, reports Express Tribune.

This topic is likely to come up at the upcoming meeting of experts from Tehran and Islamabad, sources privy to the development told Express Tribune.

Experts are of the opinion that turning the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline agreement into a ‘bilateral treaty’ as sovereign acts – as opposed to commercial transactions – would put it beyond the preview of the punitive US curbs.

Islamabad has previously made an unsuccessful attempt to seek a waiver from Washington but the Obama administration had refused to give any assurance in this regard, the newspaper adds.

“We cannot move on with the project unless the issue of possible US sanctions against IP gas pipeline project is resolved,” Express Tribune quotes an official as saying.

Sign-up for our free weekly newsletter update via email here