ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: Pakistan and Qatar have agreed to cooperate in the gas pipeline project, liquefied natural gas (LNG), technical assistance and investment in the oil and gas sector.

In a joint communique issued here on Wednesday at the conclusion of a two-day meeting between Qatari Deputy Premier and Minister for Energy and Industries Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiya and Pakistani Petroleum Minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon, both sides agreed to focus on promoting bilateral cooperation in the field of oil and gas and set up a high-level committee headed by the secretary, ministry of petroleum and natural resources, and the director, Oil and Gas Ventures (QP), for discussing and resolving technical and other issues with regard to the Qatar-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

The committee will be meeting in the coming weeks with mutually convenient schedule to work out financial and other technical aspects of the project. In view of advance technological expertise of Qatar in the field of LNG, import of LNG from Qatar to Pakistan was considered as an additional option to be pursued on parallel basis.

The Qatari side offered technical assistance in different areas of the oil and gas sector to Pakistan. Keeping in view liberal investment policies of Pakistan, Qatari investors would be encouraged to make investment in Pakistan.

Minister of State for Petroleum Mohammad Nasir Mengal, Petroleum Secretary Ahmad Waqar and senior officials of the ministry assisted the Pakistani minister in the talks, while the Qatari ambassador and member of the delegation assisted the Qatari deputy prime minister.