Pakistan’s caretaker energy minister, Muhammad Ali, announced last month that work on 80 kilometers (49 miles) of the pipeline within Pakistani territory would commence, despite US opposition due to concerns over violating sanctions on Tehran.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked if Islamabad had consulted with Washington regarding the pipeline construction. Baloch responded, "The cabinet of Pakistan decided, a few days ago, to start work on 80 kilometers of Pakistan-Iran pipeline, and this is the beginning of construction of the pipeline and it is in conformity with our commitment to the Iran-Pakistan pipeline.”
Baloch emphasized, "Since this pipeline is being constructed inside Pakistani territory, we do not believe there is room for any objections by any third party at this stage."
The project, initiated in 2013, mandated Pakistan to complete the pipeline construction on its side by the end of 2014. However, the work stalled, leading to frustration from Tehran, which has already invested $2 billion in its portion of the pipeline.
If Pakistan were to terminate the gas pipeline agreement, it could face a hefty $18-billion fine.