ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday signed an inter-governmental agreement with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan for importing 1300MW of electricity from Central Asia by 2013.

The agreement was signed by energy ministers of the four countries at the conclusion of an Inter-Governmental Council (IGC) meeting here.

Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf, Afghan Minister of Energy and Water Alhaj Mohammad Ismail Khan, Kyrgyz Minister of Industry, Energy and Fuel Resources Saparbek Balkibekov and Chairman of the Tajik State Committee for Investments Farrukh Hamraliev represented their governments.

Mr Ashraf said that the four nations had agreed in principle to implement the project adding that issues like tariff, transmission cost, legal aspects and other technical matters would be taken up later.

He said the four nations also agreed to set up IGC secretariat in Kabul and approved the appointment of Qazi Naeemuddin, a Pakistani engineer, as its first executive director.

Of the total 1300MW hydropower to be exported jointly by Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic, Afghanistan will use 300MW and the remaining 1000MW would be imported by Pakistan, he said.

The ministers agreed to adopt Kabul-Jalalabad route for the transmission line — 477 kilometre of 500 KV AC line from Kyrgyz Republic to Tajikistan and 750 km of 500 KV DC line between Tajikistan and Pakistan via Kabul.

The Afghan minister for energy and water said the project was estimated to cost $935 million of which Afghanistan would provide $235m and Pakistan $700m.

To a question about security of the transmission line in Afghanistan, the minister said “your brothers and sisters in Afghanistan will provide security to the line”. Dispelling a notion that the project was being imposed by the US as an alternative to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Mr Ashraf said every economic step in Pakistan should not be branded as a result of US dictation.