Pakistan, Iran sign gas pipeline deal

Do we have to wait for Syed Saleem Shahzad's investigative report on whjy Zardari opted to pay MORE for the gas then the Iran Parliament voted for? ~~t (shades of Mr. 10% coming alive?)

Officials from Pakistan on Sunday finally signed a gas pipeline accord with Iran, without India's participation, after 14 years of on-off negotiations over what was initially framed as the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project. Under the gas sale purchase agreement signed between the Iranian National Oil Company and Interstate Gas System of Pakistan, Iran will provide 750 million cubic feet of gas per day to Pakistan for the next 25 years. Officials in Islamabad termed the deal a major breakthrough and an achievement that would greatly help Pakistan meet its energy needs. The two countries will sign the formal agreement for the multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project, to be completed in five years, in a third country within the next 15 days. The project, when initially mooted in 1994, was intended to carry gas from Iran to Pakistan and on to India. New Delhi withdrew from the talks last year over repeated disputes on prices, transit fees and security issues. China has shown interest in joining the strategic gas pipeline project and last year said it would import about 1 billion cubic feet a day from Pakistan if India opted out.