January 17, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 16, 1426

ISLAMABAD, Jan 16: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday said Pakistan was holding negotiations with Iran, Turkmenistan, Qatar and India for the gas pipeline projects.

In a meeting with Afghanistan’s Minister for Mines and Industries Mir Mohammad Sediq who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House, the prime minister said that Pakistan’s energy requirements were rapidly increasing and the country needed more energy sources.

He appreciated the fact that all the stakeholders in the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India gas pipeline project were meeting in Ashkabad next month and hoped that progress would be made on it. “This appears to be an economically viable project which would serve everyone’s interests. It is a win- win proposition for all,” he concluded.

Mr Aziz said that Pakistan was encouraging its private sector to invest in various sectors in Afghanistan as it would be in the mutual interest of both the countries.

He emphasized the need for the Afghan government to apprise the Pakistani businessmen of the investment opportunities keeping in view the current and future requirements of Afghanistan.

He said that Pakistan was one of the leading producers of yarn in the world and Afghanistan can greatly benefit from its expertise and experience in the textile sector. “In addition to this Afghanistan has enormous potential in the mining sector,” he added.

The prime minister said a strong, stable and economically vibrant Afghanistan was good for its people, Pakistan as well as the whole region. “Both countries, their people and economies are closely interlinked and it is not possible for one to grow in isolation. We want peace to prosper in the region and root out extremism to enable the people of our countries to improve the quality of their living,” he added.