ISLAMABAD, Dec 16: Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan will adopt a framework to facilitate the laying of 1500km gas pipeline from Daulatabad to Gwadar, Dawn has learnt.
The draft agreement will be signed by the heads of three states during the summit meeting to be held in Ashkabad on Dec 26-27. Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali is expected to represent Pakistan in the summit, an official source indicated.
The officials of the government and the Asian Development Bank are starting a two-day meeting in Islamabad on Monday to hold final discussions on the feasibility study of the pipeline.
According to the draft agreement, the parties will ensure the protection of investments under the project and no party will expropriate, requisition or nationalize any property, assets or rights of any of the participants of the project.
The parties will have the right to use the pipeline to offload gas for its own consumption or inject its own gas under clear commercial terms. This will enable Pakistan, in case the pipeline reached India, to offload or inject its gas according to its requirements and surplus.
Pakistan shall provide transit of gas to the Gwadar port and provide assistance for the development of a gas processing infrastructure as well as unobstructed export of processed gas products to markets abroad.
The three countries have agreed not to levy any taxes, royalties, profits, etc., on the activities related to the implementation of the project and on the transportation and transit of gas.
