President American Business Forum (ABF) Salim Ghauri has welcomed signing of TAPI pipeline agreement between Turkmanistan, India and Pakistan to deliver gas through a new pipeline that will transit Afghanistan. The 1,700-kilometre (1,050-mile) TAPI pipeline aims to transport more than 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually from Turkmenistan to energy-hungry consumers in Pakistan and India as well as relieving shortages in Afghanistan. Salim said signing of TAPI pipeline agreement is a historic event, carrying an importance of not just of regional but of world scale. He has expressed the hope that the TAPI pipeline project, tough an ambitious one given the turbulent and instable path to lay down, will spread peace and help our region flourish. The pipeline’s route would take it straight through the region’s most turbulent locales, including conflict-torn Helmand and Kandahar provinces in Afghanistan as well as Quetta in Pakistan, where tribal unrest is common. However, Salim expressed the hope that the rising energy demand in countries like India and Pakistan ahead would lead the measures relevant to security and safety of flow of 90 million cubic meters of natural gas dream pipe. President ABF has appreciated the efforts of Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain and expressed the hope that present agreement would pave the way for a stable, strong and prosperous Pakistan ahead.
