India on Wednesday announced plans for talks with Pakistan and four other countries on ways of meeting its growing energy demands via natural gas pipelines through South Asia. A Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday approved holding talks with Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to discuss natural gas pipelines going through those countries en route to India. "It will significantly enhance the oil security of the country," Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said after the Cabinet meeting. Aiyar said the government envisages constructing three pipelines to India: from Iran through Pakistan, from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan, and from Myanmar through Bangladesh. "The exact figures as to how much (gas) we'll get will be determined after the talks with these countries," Dow Jones Newswires quoted Aiyar as saying.
