Peshawar, Feb. 27: Iranian Consul General Muhammad Iqbal Asghari has said that talks on the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline are in their final stages.

Asghari said the Iranian government was aware of Pakistan's requirement of gas, had preferred to supply gas to Pakistan, rejecting Swiss and Bulgarian proposals, the Daily Times reports.

Iran boasts of having world''s second-largest gas reserves after Russia but poor management, politics and construction delays are blocking it from becoming a major exporter.

Speaking with the reporters at his residence, Asghari claimed that the people who had kidnapped Iranian diplomat from Peshawar four months ago, wanted to damage Pak-Iran ties.

Asghari said the Pakistani government should ensure safe recovery of the diplomat, adding no group had yet contacted the Iranian embassy regarding the kidnapping. (ANI)