The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) on Monday termed the launching of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project (TAPI) a revolution in energy sector.
In a statement released to the media, LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, Senior Vice President Almas Hyder and Vice President Nasir Saeed said that leaders of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have laid the foundation of a new era of progress and prosperity in South Asia.
They hoped that this mega project having annual capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas would be fully operational during the given time span. They said that it was a good omen that the present regime was utilizing all the options to fulfill the energy needs.
The LCCI office-bearers said that TAPI is a game changer for all stakeholders and, therefore, the mega project has to be monitored continuously. They said that the TAPI project is of great regional significance. They said that early execution of the project would help energy-starved Pakistan to overcome ongoing crisis, which is hitting the industrial sector hard.
They urged the government to remove all obstacles in the way of the project as it has a vital importance for the national economy in general and export-oriented industry in particular. They said that industrial growth would certainly go up when sufficient energy would be available to keep the wheels of industry moving.
They said that early execution of TAPI gas pipeline project would enhance productivity of export-based industry that would give a jumpstart to the country’s exports. They said that large scale manufacturing sector would be able to manage their export orders easily and earn much-needed foreign exchange for the country.
They said that TAPI would be Pakistan’s largest development project. The expressed the hope that the project would boost the economies of all the participating countries.
They said that early completion of the TAPI project would also give a very good message to the foreign investors. They said that the TAPI project would not only reduce tensions in South Asia but would also create employment and economic opportunities in the country.
The LCCI president said that the TAPI project would not only help Pakistan overcome ongoing energy crisis but would also promote political and economic interaction between Pakistan and Afghanistan who were the main stakeholders of the project.