Two-day first meeting of Working Group, set up on Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project valued at dollars 4.16 billion will be held here between New Delhi and Islamabad on July 12. Pakistan's seven-member delegation, headed by Secretary Petroleum and Natural Resources, Dr Ahmed Waqar will arrive here on Monday to attend the meeting, Deputy High Commissioner to India Munawar Saeed told newsmen during media briefing at Pakistan High Commission.
The Working Group on gas pipeline project was set up during the first visit of Indian Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, to Pakistan to hold discussions with his counterpart in June this year.
In response to a question, Munawar Saeed said that India also evinced keen interest in Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) gas pipeline project.
There are three bilateral tracks for negotiations in respect of gas pipeline project including Pakistan-India, Iran-India and Pakistan-Iran, which, he observed would finally emerge as a trilateral forum.
Indian Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had indicated last month before his visit to Islamabad about discussion with Pakistani counterpart regarding possibility of transforming TAP into TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India).
To another question, Deputy High Commissioner said Pakistan granted permission and issued a notification for tax and duty free import of vegetables and other items including potatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic, halal meat and live animals from India.
He told a questioner that India-Pakistan meeting on nuclear and conventional confidence building measures (CBMs) would be held in the first week of August.
Talks on Economic Co-operation and Drug and Terrorism will also be held here next month as part of composite dialogue process between the two countries, he added.
Responding to a query, Munawar said trial run of the Lahore-Amritsar bus was scheduled to be held this month, however the date was not finalised yet.
In the second stage, the bus travel will be extended from Amritsar to Nankana Sahib, he said adding, both sides already reached an agreement on Lahore-Amritsar bus service and Maritime Security Agency and Coast Guards.
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