August 28, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Saani 18,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 27: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said Pakistan is very much interested in early laying of 1400km-long $3.2 billion gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan.

Official sources told Dawn that the visiting Afghan ministers during their meeting with the president here on Tuesday assured him that Afghan government would provide all necessary support for early laying of pipeline.

President Musharraf said Pakistan did not have any objection if the gas pipeline was stretched to India, sources added. If the proposal is materialised, Pakistan could get $400 to $500 million annual royalty.

Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and Finance Minister Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmedzai said that their country would make all possible efforts to help forge better political and economic relations between Pakistan and the Central Asian States.

They also assured that there was no opposition in their country for allowing Turkmenistan gas pipeline via Afghanistan.

Sources said Mr Abdullah assured the president that he and his colleagues had forgotten the past and that everyone in Afghanistan was now wishing very cordial relations with Pakistan. The president also offered all kinds of economic support to Afghanistan.

He directed Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz to expedite remaining $90 million support to Afghanistan during the next few years. Pakistan has already disbursed $10 million to Afghanistan.

The president told the visiting ministers that Pakistan’s private sector was eager to play a greater role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, the sources added. In this regard he said joint ventures with other countries including Iran and Turkey could also be undertaken.

Both the Afghan ministers asked for increased construction activities to be undertaken by Pakistan’s private sector in Afghanistan.