Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Giliani says the country should expedite construction of a pipeline that will allow it to import natural gas from neighboring Iran.

Prime Minister Gilani met with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Islamabad on Thursday. During the talks, Salehi told the Pakistani leader that the Iranian portion of the pipeline will be completed next year.

The $7.5 billion pipeline will connect Iran's South Pars gas field to Pakistan's Baluchistan and Sindh provinces. The project has seen numerous delays and is opposed by the United States, which has placed economic sanctions on Iran due to suspicions about the country's nuclear program.

Pakistani officials say the planned pipeline will supply the country with about 21 million cubic meters of gas daily by mid-2015. Pakistan is frequently hit by power shortages and is in critical need of new energy sources.