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Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said that her country will not abandon the multi-billion Iran-Pakisan (IP) gas pipeline, IRNA reported.

"We are energy deficient and we are pro-actively pursuing access to gas which includes the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline," the Foreign Minister told a news conference in Islamabad Sunday evening.

She said in view of Pakistan’s energy crisis, the country works within the parameters of UN sanctions to pursue the IP and also the Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan India pipeline.

To a question about Iran, she said Iran is Pakistan’s neighbour and Islamabad is pursuing good friendly relation with all our neighbours.

"I have already said that unless we reach out to all our neighbours, we will be creating problems for ourselves. What has been bequeathed to my generation has been worse than before. We should move forward. We don’t want Pakistan to be pulled back," Hina Rabbani Khar said.

She said that Pakistan needs to have a very clear policy, adding that Pakistan is ready to bend backwards, undertake diplomacy proactively so that Pakistan coexists peacefully with its neighbours.

She said there are a number of regions like ASEAN that have disputes but they continue to work with each other and have not made their progress and prosperity and the development of their people a hostage to their disputes.

"We cannot make ourselves hostages to these disputes, nor can we allow these disputes to fester. We cannot resolve these disputes militarily. Our only option is to resolve these disputes through dialogue," she said.