LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Monday termed the launching of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project a revolution in the energy sector.

The chamber urged the government to remove all obstacles coming in the way of the project as it had vital importance for the national economy in general and export-oriented industry in particular.

In a joint statement, LCCI President Sheikh Muha­mmad Arshad, Senior Vice-President Almas Hyder and Vice-President Nasir Saeed said that the leaders of Turkm­enistan, Afghanistan, Pakis­tan and India had laid foundation of a new era of progress and prosperity in South Asia.

They hoped the mega project having annual capacity of 33 billion cubic metres of gas would be completed in time.

The LCCI office-bearers said early execution of the project would help energy-starved Pakistan to overcome ongoing crisis that was hitting the industrial sector hard.

They said large-scale manufacturing sector would be able to manage their export orders easily and earn much-needed foreign exchange for the country.

The LCCI president said the TAPI project would not only help Pakistan to overcome ongoing energy crisis, it would also promote political and economic interaction between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the main stakeholders of this project.

He said the project would not only reduce tension in South Asia, but would also create jobs and spur economic growth in the country.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2015