The Indian government has approved a deal to buy natural gas from Turkmenistan via a $7.6 billion pipeline passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan, reports said on Thursday. The cabinet approved the signing of the Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement as well as the payment of a transit fee to Afghanistan and Pakistan for allowing the pipeline to pass through their territory, the Press Trust of India reported. The 1,735-kilometre pipeline is likely to be operational by 2016, the news agency said, quoting a government official. The announcement comes after New Delhi said this week it would cut purchases of Iranian oil by 11 percent following US pressure to isolate the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear programme. Washington favours the Turkmenistan pipeline and has pressured both India and Pakistan to hold off on a pipeline deal with Tehran. Energy-scarce India, which imports four-fifths of its crude, says it shares the US anti-nuclear proliferation goals but it views Iran as an important source of oil to feed its economy’s fast-growing needs.
