Pakistani President to visit Iran next Monday

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that President Asif Ali Zardari is to visit Iran to perform ground-breaking of gas pipeline project taking place on Monday, Dawn News reported. Foreign Affairs office spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan said at the weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday that several heads of state have also been invited to attend the ceremony. He said Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources is working out details. He rejected the impression that Pakistan was in a fix over the project due to foreign pressure and said the project being in our national interests we are committed to go ahead with it. The spokesman said Pakistan is aware of concerns of the United States and some other countries about the project but hoped that they would understand Pakistan’s economic compulsions in this regard.