The Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Hosseini has stated that the Iranian government is ready to complete the Pak-Iran gas pipeline in order to enhance cooperation in the energy sector. The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline (IP Gas) is an under-construction 2,775-kilometre pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to Pakistan. This is a great opportunity that was extended to us over a decade ago as the two countries looked to bolster bilateral ties and trade. Although long delayed, Pakistan should seriously consider this proposal. In order to further strengthen trade cooperation between the two countries, the Ambassador stated that the completion of energy projects, especially the Pak-Iran gas pipeline, remains vital. It is pertinent to note that the work on the pipeline was stalled due to US sanctions on Iran as no Pakistani bank was ready to take the risk of financing the project. While the project has always been part of discussions at the high-level interactions between both countries, no progress has been witnessed since the sanctions were imposed. However, considering that there are no sanctions on Iran’s gas, perhaps this project can be resumed as it will help us immensely given our energy constraints. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, even Finance Minister Miftah Ismail pointed out that Pakistan is in dire need of gas and energy and that Iran can offer considerable help in this area. As it is, cooperation in the field of energy is being explored by the current government as Minister Khurram Dastgir recently travelled to Iran to enhance energy imports. Building upon the existing partnership in the energy sector makes a lot of sense considering our needs and the value proposition at hand. Even if we have pivoted towards other projects since the Iran-Pakistan pipeline was stalled, the country has still incurred a sunk cost so it would not be wise to abandon a lucrative project. More importantly, Pakistan needs to diversify its sources of energy to avoid sector-wide breakdowns whenever any supply chain issues occur. This is an encouraging development, and the hope is that along with the ongoing trade initiatives between the countries, work on the pipeline resumes at the earliest and without any external impediments this time around.