June 4, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1424

ISLAMABAD, Jun 3: Pakistan has offered Iran cooperation to help convert 1.6 million vehicles from petrol to CNG during the next seven years.

The offer was made by Secretary Petroleum, Abdullah Yousaf in a meeting with the 10-member delegation from Iranian Fuel Consumption Organization (IFCO), headed by Ali Hamidi Abarghoi, official sources told APP here on Tuesday.

Welcoming the delegation, currently on a three-day visit to Pakistan to study CNG expertise, the Secretary said both countries enjoy excellent relations in all walks of life including oil and gas sector and Pakistan is looking forward to interacting with Iran in CNG sector at the earliest.

Pakistan, he said, has tremendous potential and expertise in CNG field, and is ready to extend all out cooperation for the promotion of CNG industry of Iran.

Abdullah Yousaf directed Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP) to offer full cooperation with the visiting delegation to achieve the objectives. During the meeting, Ali Hamidi said that Iran has planned to convert 1.6 million vehicles during the next seven years from petrol to CNG.

He said the visit of IFCO’s delegation to Pakistan would provide an opportunity to abreast with the technical know-how and expertise being applied by Pakistan in the CNG sector.

Ali Hamidi was informed that with the introduction of CNG in the private sector, Pakistan now ranks third in international rating and is leader in Asia with 383 CNG stations and more than 350,000 CNG vehicles in a very short span of time.

The driving factor behind this rapid growth in the sector is the price differential between motor gasoline and CNG and incentives available to the sector in view of the encouraging government policies adopted so far.

Multiple benefits, including economic as well as environmental, have been accrued from use of CNG.—APP