"We have been assured by the Indian government that it has no plan to abandon the IPI gas pipeline project under American pressure," Pakistan Petroleum and Natural Resources Secretary Ahmad Waqar said.

"Reports to the contrary...may be attributed to political needs, not real intentions," he was quoted by 'Dawn' as saying.

"There is no confusion in our mind that India has joined the three-nation gas pipeline project," he said, adding that during the recent SAARC summit in New Delhi, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was assured by his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh that his country was serious about the project.

Waqar, however, said that Pakistan was pursing both bilateral and tri-lateral approaches to ensure that the project was not abandoned for any reason.

"In the first place, India has assured both Pakistan and Iran that it is very much part of the project, but in case it does not join the project due to any reason, Islamabad and Tehran would complete it," he said.

The growing energy requirements of India and Pakistan had forced both the countries to have a certain feasible gas pipeline project, he said.

Waqar said that Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet had recently approved the gas sharing arrangement with India under the IPI project.

Under the Phase-1 of the project, Iran would deliver about 2.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day at the Pakistani border that would be equally shared by both India and Pakistan.

Under the Phase II, 3.2 BCFD of gas would be transported by Iran, bringing the total gas supplies to 5.3 BCFD from Tehran. Of these supplies, Pakistan and India would get 2.1 BCFD and 3.2 BCFD respectively, Waqar said, adding that documentation relating to the project would be finalised next month.