By IRNA,
Islamabad : President Asif Ali Zardari has said that there is no U.S. pressure on Pakistan on improving economic relations with Iran.
“You must have heard that Iran is willing to give us electricity. We are looking forward to trading with all our neighbors,” Zardari told American NEWSWEEK magazine.
Zaradri’s comments came a day after Pakistan and Iran signed historic agreement on the multi-billion gas pipeline, which will deliver natural gas to energy-starved Pakistan in mid-2014.
“Nobody can put pressure on Pakistan for anything. We do what is in Pakistan’s interest,” the Pakistani President said.
About Iran ’s willingness to provide electricity to Pakistan, Zardari said there is no transmission line at the moment and setting up a transmission line will take four years.
“In four years, we can build hydroelectricity dams, and we intend to,” the Pakistani President said and insisted that the U.S. has no pressure on Pakistan to not pursue opportunities.
To a question about reported pressure on Pakistan to launch operation in North Waziristan tribal region, Zardari said his government will work with its own game plan.
“We are fighting to save Pakistan. So we’re working on it with a map in our hand,” he said.
Asked about the fallout for Pakistan of the U.S. reaction to the attempted Times Square bombing, the President said no one should pay much heed to the rumor mills in Washington or Islamabad .
To a question about danger to his government, Zardari said, “I don’t think the government and Parliament are in any danger”.
Replying to a question about relations with India, he said that India must realize the ‘new-age terror has created a phenomenon where a few people can take entire states to war’.
“The fact that these people happen to belong to Pakistan or India or Bangladesh is immaterial. They are nonstate actors, and states should behave like states,” he argued.