TAPI project likely to be launched in two months

[Edevelop]

KABUL: Afghan Minister for Mines and Petroleum Daud Shah Saba said that the Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project is expected to be formally launched in two months. Talking to newsmen in Kabul, he said that a meeting on TAPI in Islamabad had decided that a consortium leader would be finalised soon to immediately start the project. He said the steering committee’s next meeting would be held in Kabul. The nearly 1,800km-long proposed pipeline project worth around $10 billion aims to export up to 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas per year and integrate economies of the four partnering nations.

TAPI project likely to be launched in two months

 

[Dalit]

Wow, the Americans seem in a hurry. Hadn't the cost gone up? What happened to the IP pipeline?

 

[New World]

what about IP?

 

[Imtiaz_Sarwar]

How safe the pipeline will be on Afghanistan's soil given the current ground realities.

 

[New World]

after couple of months ground realities will be much better than of today..
peace talks are underway between Afghan Government and Taliban..

 

[Qalandari]

It is going to be a big flop given the current geo-political situation.

 

[Daneshmand]

Then it would also be a good idea to invest in a wormhole teleportation method for the Afghan portion of the pipeline.

Better to be safe than sorry

 

[Daneshmand]

what about IP?

Pakistan backed out of it.

 

[Bilal.]

Pakistan backed out of it.

No, we are waiting for the sanctions to be removed. IP is a very important project for Pakistan but due to the insensitivities of world power we can't proceed. They would rather ha e us starved than give us exemption.

 

[black-hawk_101]

Pakistani investors must invest in Turkmenistan mineral sector.

 

[Omair_1]

PakistAni investors shouldn't participate in tHis dEal ...

 

[New World]

No, we are waiting for the sanctions to be removed. IP is a very important project for Pakistan but due to the insensitivities of world power we can't proceed. They would rather ha e us starved than give us exemption.

when NS became Prime minister, he backed from IP project because of Saudi Pressure and were offered to buy LNG from Qatar, which is more expansive than Iran's gas...

 

[Bouncer]

No, we are waiting for the sanctions to be removed. IP is a very important project for Pakistan but due to the insensitivities of world power we can't proceed. They would rather ha e us starved than give us exemption.

Pakistan has signed binding agreements with Iran government in last government's tenure. Plus if there is political will, and keeping in mind our energy situation, skilled diplomacy can overcome any hurdles. All signs point to the fact that our government is afraid of going against US and PMLN in particular is afraid of going against the Saudis.

 

[Daneshmand]

No, we are waiting for the sanctions to be removed. IP is a very important project for Pakistan but due to the insensitivities of world power we can't proceed. They would rather ha e us starved than give us exemption.

I dont think so. Pakistan will not build this pipeline even if there was no sanctions. The sanctions came only in 2012, and this pipeline has been on designing and proposal stage since 1950's. And despite the sanctions, other countries like India, Turkey and China sent their diplomats to US to get waivers for importing Iranian oil and gas even when under sanctions. They argued, their economy needed it. Pakistan could have done the same and even probably more because US need Pakistan's cooperation in Afghanistan. But anyways, who cares.

 

[Sugarcane]

I dont think so. Pakistan will not build this pipeline even if there was no sanctions. The sanctions came only in 2012, and this pipeline has been on designing and proposal stage since 1950's. And despite the sanctions, other countries like India, Turkey and China sent their diplomats to US to get waivers for importing Iranian oil and gas even when under sanctions. They argued, their economy needed it. Pakistan could have done the same and even probably more because US need Pakistan's cooperation in Afghanistan. But anyways, who cares.

IPI initially was meant for India only, our planner didn't thought about importing gas as our local production was fulfilling our requirement, it's only in 2000s when we started using CNG in vehicles which increased the consumption by many folds and no new reserves were added to supply line because of insurgency. By the time our planner realized that we need to import gas you were already under sanctions.

Turkey, China & Indian build their case on point that they can't switch their supply lines to other sources and refineries to process that oil overnight and agreed to reduce purchase overtime. Plus these countries have leverage of their economy. You can't compare their stand with Pakistan whose all exports are to US & her allies.