Blow to Pakistan gas pipeline as Russia shocked over negation of key project protocol

Islamabad [Pakistan], November 8 (ANI): In a major blow to the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline project, a letter sent by the country’s Petroleum Division to the Energy Ministry of Russia has reportedly shocked Moscow as it was the negation of the protocol, reported local media.
A year ago, it was decided that government-to-government communication would be made through foreign ministries of both countries, said The News International.
The Petroleum Division is asking for re-negotiations on issues already settled in an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) and approved by the federal cabinet.
Petroleum Division’s joint secretary in a letter to the Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Economic Cooperation and Fuel Markets Development, Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation asked for the renegotiations.
The suspicious involvement of some civil indenters was earlier highlighted by the powerful circles. The civil indenters had ruined the project earlier and now they are again in the lead and want to sabotage the project as they have managed inroads into the Ministry of Energy and have their own financial benefits attached to the project.
The Russian delegation that was due to start talks on November 9-12 in Islamabad to finalise the remaining points of the shareholding agreement, now has been stopped by the authorities in Moscow. The Moscow side took the letter from the Petroleum Division as a shocking surprise and called back the Russian delegation to Moscow that was in Dubai to reach Pakistan on Tuesday, The News International reported citing top sources. (ANI)