KARACHI: Pakistan and Russia on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Moscow for the construction of the marine gas pipeline, the Russian Ministry of Energy confirmed to Arab News.
“Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Anatoly Yanovsky and Deputy Minister of Energy of Pakistan Sher Afgan-Khan signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Energy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on cooperation in implementing the offshore pipeline project,” the ministry said in a statement issued after the signing of the agreement.
According to the agreement the gas from fields in Iran will be supplied to consumers in Pakistan and India. “I think this will create additional conditions for the signing of the same document with the Indian side,” said Yanovsky.
“The Memorandum provides for the identification of authorized organizations through which the project will be supported, including when developing a feasibility study — identifying the resource base, configuration and route of the gas pipeline,” the statement added.
The deputy minister noted that the interaction between Russia and Pakistan in the fuel and energy sector is not limited to the offshore pipeline project: in particular, consultations are being held on the North-South gas pipeline project.
According to Anatoly Yanovsky, the project of LNG supplies to the Pakistan can become a promising direction of cooperation. An intergovernmental agreement on the supply of oil products from Russia to Pakistan is also under consideration. In addition, the Russian electric power industry has also shown interest in the Pakistani market.
Pakistan and Russia have signed the agreement at a time when the United States of America is mounting pressure on the countries to not deal with Iran. “It is a bold call which shows that Pakistan is not going to bow to the US threats,” said Muzamil Aslam, senior economist, adding: “This could have repercussions as the US may pressurize Pakistan through other countries and may induce its investors withdraw their investment from Pakistan stock market.”
The underwater pipeline is expected to be completed within three to four years of the signing of the agreement. The pipeline could supply from 500 million cubic feet to 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.
A feasibility study of the project will be conducted by Russian energy giant Gazprom. The project will be jointly handled by Pakistan’s state-owned Inter State Gas Systems (ISGS) and Gazprom.
The ISGS is currently engaged on mega gas pipeline schemes such as the $10 billion Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, which aims to bring natural gas from the Gylkynish and adjacent gas fields in Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The Asian Development Bank is acting as the facilitator and coordinator for the TAPI project. The feasibility study, proposed to lay a 56-inch diameter 1,000-mile pipeline with design capacity of 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per annum (Bcfd) [IS THIS PER DAY OR PER ANNUM] from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan up to the Indian border. The project is scheduled to commence operations in 2020.
The increased supply of gas to Pakistan will have positive impact on the economy of the country, said Muzamil Aslam commented. “Pakistan’s energy needs would be met and our industries, particularly export industry, will benefit to large extent and employment opportunities would also increase.”
Pakistan, Russia sign MoU for construction of $10 billion marine gas pipeline
Pakistan, Russia sign MoU for construction of $10 billion marine gas pipeline
- The gas from fields in Iran will be supplied to consumers in Pakistan and India through the marine pipeline
- Development is a bold call in the face of mounting pressure on Iran which shows Pakistan’s resilience, Muzamil Aslam
Pakistan says four militants killed in Balochistan operation near Iran border
- Military says those killed belonged to the Pakistani Taliban, a group mainly active in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Operation comes after October border clashes with Afghanistan that led Pakistan to shut crossings and tighten security
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Saturday it killed four militants during an intelligence-based operation in Panjgur district in southwestern Balochistan, near the border with Iran, accusing them of belonging to the Pakistani Taliban.
The group, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and described as Fitna al Khwarij by Islamabad, has largely operated in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Pakistan has frequently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of sheltering TTP leaders and fighters, allegations Afghan officials deny.
Islamabad has also accused India of supporting militant activity in Pakistan’s western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, though New Delhi has rejected the charge in the past.
“On 26 December 2025, security forces conducted an intelligence based operation in Panjgur District of Balochistan, on reported presence of Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
“During the conduct of operation, own forces effectively engaged the Khwarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored Khwarij were sent to hell,” it added.
ISPR said weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the militants, whom it said had been involved in multiple attacks in the area. It added that follow-up search operations were under way to clear the area of any remaining fighters.
The operation comes amid heightened tensions along Pakistan’s northwestern frontier following fierce border clashes with Afghan forces in October, as a spike in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prompted Pakistani officials to suspect cross-border militant activity originating from Afghanistan.
Dozens of people were killed on both sides during the clashes, with Pakistan shutting down major border crossings and stepping up security along its porous frontier.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has for years faced a separatist insurgency led by groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, while TTP-linked attacks in the province have been less frequent but have occurred in the past.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for the operation in Panjgur, his office said in a statement.
“The prime minister paid tribute to the security forces for eliminating four Indian-backed terrorists,” it said, adding that Sharif vowed to “crush the nefarious designs of the enemies of humanity” and said the entire nation stood with the armed forces in the fight against militancy.
Sharif said Pakistan remained fully committed to the complete eradication of all forms of terrorism from the country, the statement added.
