LAHORE, March 28: An Afghan official on Thursday proposed laying a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.

Speaking at the ECO-CEC conference, Afghanistan’s First Deputy Minister of Public Works Dr Engr WM Rasoli said that the Economic Cooperation Organization secretariat could effectively take up such projects in the member states.

He also called upon the ECO member states to provide immediate technical assistance for the reconstruction of 3,000 kilometres of roads as well as a large number of damaged bridges and houses in Afghanistan. He stressed the urgent need for setting up a railway network in the land-locked country to provide an efficient trade link with other ECO states.

“An effective rail and road network in Afghanistan will strengthen strong commercial, economic and social relations with neighbouring states,” the Afghan official said.

Speaking on the occasion, ECO deputy secretary-general Sanaullah assured the participants of the conference of full support from the ECO secretariat particularly in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

He said the ECO secretariat was working on a plan to provide easy access to all land locked countries of the region to facilitate regional trade.

Speakers on the occasion included Hasan Farkhandeh from Iran, Javed Khizer Hayat, Mushtaq Bhatti and Abdur Rauf.