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Summary Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani has rejected any foreign pressure on Iran-Pakistan gasline project.
She said it was in Pakistan’s national interest to acquire energy from wherever it was available. “We cannot afford to be selective,” the Foreign Minister told a press conference at the Foreign Office.She said the country is facing a real energy crisis and stressed the need to address its energy needs at the earliest.The other day, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threatened Pakistan with economic sanctions in case Pakistan went ahead with the gasline deal with Iran.The foreign minister also said trade with India doesn’t mean withdrawal from Kashmir.She said that agreement with Iran on gas would be signed without any external pressure.Commenting on Afghanistan issue, she was of the view that Pakistan wants to have good and peaceful ties with Afghanistan.While replying to a query, she said that NATO supply resumption would be decided by the parliament.She said the PPP government paved the way to access European Union market.She said that seeking aid is not our aim; rather Pakistan would like to enhance its mercantile ties with other nations of the world. She said that ties with Iran and Afghanistan would be strengthened. Throwing light on energy crisis, she said that Pakistan would get assistance wherever it is available without any external pressure.
