KARACHI: Pakistan decided to build an 80-kilometer segment of the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline on Friday after the Cabinet Committee on Energy approved the recommendations of a ministerial oversight committee evaluating various dimensions of the project after it was constituted by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar last September.
Originally intended to supply gas from Iran to both Pakistan and neighboring India, the project was referred to as the IPI pipeline. However, India later withdrew from the project over concerns related to pricing and security, leading to the current designation as the IP gas pipeline.
The project remained stalled for a significantly long period since it could potentially create problems for Pakistan due to the international sanctions targeting Iran.
The United States, in particular, expressed opposition to the project, and there had been concerns that Pakistan could face economic sanctions if it proceeded with it.
“The [Cabinet] Committee [on Energy] recommended to start work on the 80 km segment of the pipeline inside Pakistan i.e. from Pakistan border up till Gwadar in the first phase,” said an official statement circulated by the Petroleum Division of Energy Ministry. “The Project will be executed by Inter State Gas Systems (Pvt) Ltd. and will be funded through Gas Infrastructure Development Cess.”
“All the concerned divisions gave a positive nod to move ahead with the project to ensure gas supplies to the people of Pakistan, thereby addressing the increasing energy needs of the country,” the statement added.
The project is expected to boost the country’s energy security and strengthen the local industry that can be assured sustainable and enhanced gas supplies.
The construction of the IP pipeline is also expected to catalyze the economic activity in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province and which can positively impact the national economy.
Government greenlights construction of 80-kilometer segment of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline
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Government greenlights construction of 80-kilometer segment of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline
- The pipeline will be constructed from Pakistan’s border with Iran to its port city of Gwadar in the first phase
- The project is likely to boost the country’s energy security, strengthen local industry with enhanced gas supply
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
