The Express Tribune: Pipeline of Opportunities: ‘TAPI will Bring Kabul, Islamabad, Delhi Closer’

The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project will bring Afghanistan, Pakistan and India much closer, believes Dr Daud Saba, Afghanistan’s minister for mines and petroleum.

“I believe TAPI is a pipeline of opportunities. The project is a major factor for promoting peace and stability in the region and boosting cooperation among the participating countries,” he told The Express Tribune in Islamabad on Sunday. “I am confident that TAPI will lay the foundation for cordial relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.”

Dr Saba disagreed with the impression that the strained relationship between Pakistan and India could have a negative impact on the project. He said representatives of both countries were ‘on the same page’ during the February 11 TAPI steering committee meeting in Islamabad.

“During the meeting, I noticed that Pakistani and Indian officials were very close to each other,” the minister, who represented Afghanistan in the huddle, said. “Pakistan, Afghanistan and India had a similar approach on the project. The three countries have common interests.” MORE