ASHKHABAD, Oct 8: An agreement to build a massive gas pipeline across Turkmenistan to Pakistan, stalled by two decades of civil war in Afghanistan, is expected to be signed here later this month, a source told AFP on Tuesday.

The presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan “plan to sign an accord on the construction of the Turkmen-Afghan-Pakistan pipeline in the Turkmen capital from October 26 to 27,” an official in the Turkmen oil and gas ministry said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A meeting of the heads of a committee set up to implement the pipeline plan is to take place from October 17 to 18 ahead of the gathering to prepare a framework agreement on the pipeline’s construction, the official added.

Both gatherings are expected to be attended by a representative of the Asian Development Bank, which has been one of the main backers of the pipeline plan.

The ADB is conducting a 1.5-million-dollar feasibility study into the project to build the 1,500-kilometre, two-billion-dollar gas pipeline linking energy-rich Central Asia with Pakistan.

The project, which is expected to bring new prosperity to an impoverished and war-ravaged region, has been on the drawing board for more than 20 years, but has been thwarted by two decades of conflict in Afghanistan.

The leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan are lobbying hard to see the construction of the link, which would enable resource-rich but landlocked Turkmenistan to export its gas.

Afghanistan meanwhile stands to benefit from millions of dollars a year in lucrative transit fees that may help speed the recovery of the war-ravaged state.

But analysts are more cautious about a project, which they say would only be feasible if it were also to supply gas to India — considered unlikely amid simmering tensions between Pakistan and India.

Instability also remains high in Afghanistan where little government control is exercised beyond Kabul and deadly clashes between warlords in the unruly provinces are frequent.—AFP