to the project was US opposition. On 15 April 2012, it was reported through unnamed diplomatic sources in Islamabad that Saudi Arabia was offering to deliver an "alternative package" to Pakistan if the country abandoned its cooperation with Iran. In addition to oil the package would also include a cash loan and oil facility. The news came in connection with a visit to Pakistan by the Saudi deputy foreign minister. On 1 May 2012, it was reported that Pakistan's foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar had said that Islamabad will not give in to US pressures to mothball the project and will finish the huge pipeline project "at any cost" and that the project was in line with the country's national interest. On 29 January 2013, US consul general Michael Dodman threatened Pakistan with economical sanctions if it does not abandon the project. In late October 2013, Sustainable Policy Development Institute published a report in which the proposed pipeline was termed as "death sentence" for Pakistan. Since the prices in the contract are linked to crude oil prices, the government "blatantly ignored the energy dynamics and its pricing while going for this deal". The gas sold to Pakistan will be higher priced than the current domestic prices of gas in the country. Route The length of the pipeline that will be supplied from the South Pars field has been given variously as , , and . It starts from Asalouyeh and stretches through Iran. The Iranian section is known as Iran's seventh cross-country gas pipeline. The first part of this section runs from Asalouyeh to Iranshahr. The second part runs from Iranshahr to the Iran–Pakistan border. In Pakistan, the length of the pipeline is . It will pass through Baluchistan and Sindh. In Khuzdar, a branch would spur off to Karachi, while the main pipeline will continue towards Multan. From Multan, the pipeline may be expanded to Delhi. The route in Pakistan may be changed if China will participate in the project. As there are concerns over the pipeline being attacked by Baluchi insurgents, an alternative offshore route from Iran to the maritime boundary between India and Pakistan off Kutch was proposed. According to this proposal, from there one branch was to run to Pakistan while other branch to run to Kutch. Technical description The initial capacity of the pipeline was to be of natural gas per year, which was expected