Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will visit Islamabad in May to discuss modalities of the $4.16 billion Iran-India gas pipeline via Pakistan and other issues of bilateral cooperation in hydrocarbon sector.
"Pakistan Prime Minister Shauquat Aziz has invited me to Islamabad in early April. But as the dates mentioned by him do not suit me, I have postponed my trip to the second fortnight of May," Aiyar said.
Besides meeting Aziz, Aiyar would meet his Pakistani counterpart to discuss the Iran-India pipeline and diesel and petrochemical exports from India. "There are a whole lot of issues that will be discussed when I visit Pakistan," he said.
Aiyar has scheduled his visit to Pakistan just before his June visit to Tehran to seal a deal for import of natural gas from Iran via a 2600-km onland pipeline, 760-km of which would pass through Pakistan.
New Delhi had previously stated it would deal only with Iran on the pipeline and it would be Tehran's job to get the Pakistani transit and guarantee gas delivery at Indian borders.
"Aiyar will discuss issues like route of the pipeline and transit fee with Pakistan, which will have an important bearing on the cost of gas," a petroleum ministry official said.
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