An eight-member Indian delegation, headed by secretary petroleum and gas, is arriving here on Wednesday, to attend the second Pak-India Working Group meeting on gas line projects.
The government is expecting substantial development on trans-border gas pipeline projects, particularly Pak-Iran-India gas line, from the meeting. A two-day Pak-India Working Group meeting is scheduled from Thursday.
Talking to Business Recorder, secretary petroleum Ahmed Waqar said "Pakistan considers upcoming Working Group's meeting as extremely important and believes that it would help push forward the ongoing process of negotiations between the two countries for early materialisation of Pak-Iran-India gas pipeline project."
He said that the group would discuss all the three options for gas import during its two days discussion, however, its main focus will be on Pak-Iran-India gas pipeline.
Pakistan is keeping three options open for import of gas-Pak-Iran, Pak-Qatar and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP)-and wants that India should join all of them as its participation could add to its commercial value and would attract the international donors for funding. Pakistan made the formal invitation to New Delhi, receiving positive response, however the two countries are yet to come to some final conclusion to materialise the deal on any of the three gas pipeline options.
Ahmed Waqar said that the two sides would discuss all the important issues, relating to technical, commercial, legal and financial aspect of gas line projects.
The Working Group had met in New Delhi some time back to take up technical and financial aspects of Pak-Iran-India gas pipeline project. Islamabad meeting is the follow up of that meeting.
Both New Delhi and Islamabad had termed the working group's first meeting very encouraging but some developments particularly political statements that emanated from New Delhi created doubts in the minds of the policy makers in Islamabad. In this scenario this second meeting will be of extraordinary important for both Islamabad and New Delhi.
When asked which issues were on the agenda of the meeting, Ahmed Waqar said that the working group's discussion will be of technical nature regarding Pak-Iran-India gas pipeline and would include gas delivery points for Islamabad and New Delhi, formation of technical advisory consortium and tariff and other technical issues. The meeting would also consider legal aspects relating to gas import, he added.