Pakistan may face sanctions if it goes ahead with Iran pipeline project: US

“We’ve heard this pipeline announced about 10 or 15 times before in the past. So we have to see what actually happens. If this project actually goes forward,we have serious concerns that sanctions would be triggered,” she said in response to a question.

“What the legislation calls for is for our partner countries to be making a concerted effort to reduce their dependence on Iranian oil over time so we are able to waive sanctions as we see reductions being made,” she said.

The US,she said,is working to help Pakistan address its energy needs. “We are supporting large-scale energy projects in Pakistan that will add some 900 megawatts to the power grid by the end of 2013,fuelling an additional two million households. These include renovating the power plants at Tarbela,and the Mangla Dam,modernising the thermal plant at Guddu,Jamshoro and Muzaffargarh and building new dams at Satpara and Gomal Zam as well as our work together on the TAPI pipeline,” she said.

Taliban wants A Q Khan as guarantor in talks with govt

The Pakistani Taliban may include disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan and federal minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim in a list of persons who could act as guarantors for peace talks with the government,according to a media report Tuesday. Khan had been informed and he “had showed willingness to play his role to bring peace back to the country”,sources close to the Taliban were quoted as saying by The Frontier Post daily.