Pakistan and India Sunday took another big leap in their relations by agreeing to work together on accessing vast oil and gas reserves available in "our extended neighbourhood", dpa reported Among the projects discussed by Indian Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and his counterpart Amanullah Khan Jadoon was a gas pipeline from Iran to India across Pakistan. "We agreed that our common interest lies in accessing low-cost energy and affordable fuel from our extended neighbourhood," Aiyar told reporters. The pipeline from Iran as well as Turkmenistan "are our immediate focus," the minister said. Iran first proposed the project in 1994, but no progress was made because of the traditional rivalry between India and Pakistan. Cost of the 2,700-kilometre pipeline is estimated at 4.5 billion dollars. Iran has 27.5 trillion cubic metres of gas reserves, while India currently requires 90 million cubic metres a day and this is projected to increase by more than four times in the next two decades. Aiyer said he had also requested India be allowed to attend talks with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on another pipeline across landlocked Afghanistan. ---SP 2358 Local Time 2058 GMT
