Pakistan has sent a proposal to China asking it to join the $7.5-billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project if New Delhi pulls out of the venture. The Chinese government has submitted a preliminary report to Pakistan seeking more information on the project. President Pervez Musharraf had invited China to join the project at a meeting with his counterpart Hu Jintao. Subsequently, Pakistan sent a proposal asking China to join the project in case India pulls out, the Daily Times quoted a senior petroleum ministry official as saying. Pakistan has also asked China to conduct a feasibility study. There has been no progress on the project since talks between India and Pakistan in April. The Indian government is yet to respond on the issue of the transit fee to be paid to Pakistan for the gas that will be transported through its territory. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who holds the petroleum portfolio, is expected to hold talks on the project when he visits India on June 27.