By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to accelerate work on Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.
The understanding to this effect was reached during a meeting between Caretaker Minister for Power Muhammad Ali and Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan, Atadjan Movlamov in Islamabad on Thursday.
During the meeting, the two sides agreed to hold regular meetings of the working group to review progress on the TAPI gas pipeline project. Speaking on the occasion, the Caretaker Minister said TAPI gas pipeline project is significant for fulfilling the growing energy needs of Pakistan.
He said the early completion of the project will also promote regional cooperation.
Under the project, a 56-inch diameter 1,680 kilometers pipeline, having the capacity to flow 3.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) gas, would be laid from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan up to the Pak-India border.
As per the TAPI agreement, Pakistan and India will be provided 1.325 bcfd (billion cubic feet per day) gas each and Afghanistan will be getting the share of 0.5 bcfd gas. Back in June, Pakistan and Turkmenistan signed a joint implementation plan in Islamabad on Thursday to execute Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.
The ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a Turkmenistan delegation led by Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma’a.
“Maksat Babayev, State Minister of Turkmenistan and Head of Turkmen Gaz and Minister of State for Petroleum of Pakistan Musaddiq Malik signed the TAPI Joint Implementation Plan” in the presence of the Pakistan Prime Minister, the office of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement.
The agreement was signed on Thursday. n Speaking to the reporters, the Pakistani PM said that he will ask his team to do anything within their ability to speed up the planning and execution of the TAPI project.
“TAPI is a very important project for the prosperity of this entire region, starting from Ashgabat and going through Kabul and then Islamabad and then to India. This will help this region to secure natural gas with concrete assurances and mutually agreed terms and conditions,” he said.
The Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines (ACIM) said that TAPI will benefit Afghanistan’s economy.
“When the practical work on TAPI pipeline projects has begun, this will give significance to Afghanistan both politically and economically as well as for the countries which are involved in this project including India, Pakistan and Turkmenistan,” said Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, deputy of ACIM.
“The regional competition caused the pipeline to not move. As the pipeline is going from Turkmenistan to India, no regime opposed it, neither the republican government nor the Taliban,” said Sayed Masoud, an economist.
