The Hindu : Pak. wants India to join gas project

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2003

International

International

Pak. wants India to join gas project

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Feb. 24. Pakistan today maintained that it was in the interest of India to join the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, made the comment at his weekly news briefing in response to a question as to why India was invited to be part of the project when it is refusing overland gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan.

``We hope better sense would prevail in India. After all it is a commercial project and there could be no political considerations. India is an energy-starved country and needs lots of gas. So it is in the interest of New Delhi to become part of the project. After all even the investors would be interested in it only if it is fully viable'', Mr. Khan said.

On the statement of the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, that there could be no talks till Pakistan stopped cross-border terrorism, Mr. Khan rejected the charges and renewed the offer for the deployment of neutral observers along the borders.

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