Thursday, February 10 2005 19:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Stepping up pressure on India to take an early decision on the gas pipelines from Iran and Turkmenistan, Pakistan has said that it would soon begin the process of issuing tenders at least for one of the pipelines to import natural gas to meet its own growing energy demand.

"A decision (to select one of the pipelines) would be taken shortly and tenders would be issued and work would be started within 2005," Pakistan's Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Amanullah Khan Jadoon told reporters in Islamabad yesterday (Feb 10, 2005).

Jadoon has welcomed Indian Cabinet decision yesterday authorising the Petroleum Ministry to begin talks on gas pipelines from Iran to India through Pakistan as well as Myanmar and India pipeline through Bangladesh.

He said Pakistan has the choice of getting three pipelines- Iran, Turkmenistan and Qattar and Islamabad would soon opt for one of them. Pakistan would take a decision to opt for which of the three pipelines from Iran, Turkmenistan or Qatar should be constructed first.

Pakistan, he said, might have to construct another pipeline in later years.

He said he would accompany Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during his visit to Iran at the end of this month to discuss the pipeline project.

Iran recently indicated that it was willing to have pipeline project with Pakistan alone if India was not forthcoming.

However Pakistan so far refrained from commenting on India's decision to lay the entire responsibility of laying the pipelines and its security with Tehran.