Below is an article published by The Daily Times:

Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani has said the Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline Accord would ensure massive economic development of Balochistan in the near future.

Commenting on the signing of the accord in Tehran, the Chief Minister said the project will meet the energy requirement of Balochistan, mainly of the coastal region and will leave a deep impact on the regional economy.

Before concluding the agreement between Pakistan and Iran, Raisani said that it was his considered opinion that the gas pipeline should pass Gwadar and other coastal townships of Balochistan. According to sources, the chief minister opposed a proposal that it should pass under the sea bypassing the land route of Balochistan.

He said that the Pakistan Government had conceded to the province’s demand that the land route of Balochistan close to the coast be used for the pipeline.

He hoped that all the coastal townships and major cities of Makran and Lasbela would get the facility of natural gas from the Iran Gas Pipeline Project.

The chief minister said that the availability of energy sources from Iran would help the local economy to attract massive investment opportunities.

Nawab Raisani recalled that the Government had already declared Gwadar a tax free zone which is a great incentive for the industrial development of the Balochistan coast. He called it a revolutionary step in every respect guaranteeing sustainable economic development. However, Baloch nationalists have expressed reservations demanding that the provincial government claim hundred percent royalties on gas. It may be pointed out that the Iranian Government had already brought the gas pipeline up to the border township of Iranshahr, some 100 kilometers from Pakistani Balochistan. Iran plans to take the gas pipeline first to the free port of Chah Bahar on the Iranian Coast before the pipeline is taken to Jiwani and Gwadar for the onward journey to Pakistan.