ISLAMABAD: Talks between Pakistan and Russia were set to begin in Islamabad on Monday for a $2 billion gas pipeline project, with an aim to determine how the resource can be made available to various parts of the country.
Pakistan’s Inter-State Gas System (ISGS) and Russia’s RT Global will be leading the talks in Islamabad.
Plans for the 800-km-long Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RNLG) project are expected to be finalized in three to four days and will also address US sanctions imposed on Russia’s Rostec, the parent company of RT Global. The sanctions are in place due to US’ strained bilateral relations with Ukraine, a hurdle which both Pakistan and Russia will need to overcome to work toward the RNLG deal.
“Once the project is completed, the Russian company is most likely to charge 70 to 75 cents per million standard cubic feet of gas as transportation tariff,” a senior official from the petroleum division of Ministry of Energy, requesting anonymity, said.
Mobin Saulat, managing director of the ISGS, said on Saturday said that Russia’s proposal offers a sanctions-free structure, while the project itself will be handed over to Pakistan after 25 years.
Saulat added that the Ministry of Defense had been asked to provide the permissions for the pipeline project and that the design for the project and survey has already been completed. The pipeline is currently being laid down from Nawabshah in Sindh and is expected to cover the distance to Lahore.
Pakistan, Russia to dig deeper for $2bn gas project
Pakistan, Russia to dig deeper for $2bn gas project
- Look to finalize modalities for RLNG deal in four-day talks
- 800km initiative to be handed over to Islamabad after 25 years
US freezes immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Pakistan
- Immigrant visas to be suspended from Jan 21, tourist visas unaffected
- Move targets “public charge” concerns as Trump revives hard-line immigration rules
ISLAMABA: The United States will pause immigrant visa issuances for nationals of 75 countries, including Pakistan, from January 21, the State Department said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump presses ahead with a hard-line immigration agenda centered on financial self-sufficiency.
In an update published on its website, the State Department said it was conducting a comprehensive review of immigration policies to ensure that migrants from what it described as “high-risk” countries do not rely on public welfare in the United States or become a “public charge.”
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the department said.
The pause applies specifically to immigrant visas, which are issued to people seeking permanent residence in the United States. The department said applicants from affected countries may still submit applications and attend interviews, but no immigrant visas will be issued during the suspension.
According to the State Department, the affected countries include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia, Brazil, Thailand and dozens of others across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
The department said tourist and other non-immigrant visas are not affected, and that no previously issued immigrant visas have been revoked. Dual nationals applying with a valid passport from a country not on the list are exempt from the pause.
The State Department did not indicate how long the visa pause would remain in effect, saying it would continue until its review of screening and vetting procedures is completed.
The announcement underscores the breadth of the Trump administration’s renewed immigration crackdown. Since returning to office last year, Trump has revived and expanded enforcement of the “public charge” provision of US immigration law, which allows authorities to deny entry to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits.
During his previous term, Trump imposed sweeping travel restrictions on several Muslim-majority countries, a policy widely referred to as a “Muslim ban,” which was challenged in courts before a revised version was upheld by the Supreme Court and later rescinded under former president Joe Biden.
The visa freeze also comes amid an intensifying domestic enforcement push. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has expanded operations nationwide, drawing scrutiny over its tactics. Last week, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a US citizen, during a federal operation in Minneapolis, sparking protests and renewed debate over immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
