MARY (Turkmenistan): Leaders of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India during a ceremony in the Turkmen desert broke ground on Sunday for a major pipeline that could help ease energy deficits in South Asia.

Presidents Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan were on hand for the ceremony outside the city of Mary in the Karakum Desert, marking the beginning of work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-PakistanIndia (Tapi) link.

They were joined by Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif and Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.

`Today we were participants and witnesses of a historic event. Today marks the start of a project of great scale the Tapi pipeline,` said Mr Berdimuhamedov at the ceremony, held in a pavilion imitating a traditional Turkmen nomadic dwelling.

`Tapi is designed to become a new effective step towards the formation ofthe modern architecture of global energy security, a powerful driver of economic and social stability in the Asian region, he added.

However, uncertainty hangs over the project, whose cost is estimated at $10bn.

Aside from the risks associated with a link traversing war-torn Afghanistan, the four-country consortium has yet to confirm the participation of a major foreign commercial partner willing to help finance Tapi.

Mr Berdimuhamedov noted that Sunday also marked the beginning of the third phase of development of the Galkynysh gas field which would provide the resource base for the Tapi project.

The next phase of development at Gall
The four leaders, who inaugurated the work for the 1,735km project by pushing a button, also put their signatures on the pipeline to record the historical moment.

Upon completion by 2019, the project will supply Pakistan 1,325 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) of natural gas to help mitigate its energy crisis.

Mr Sharif said the presence of regional leaders at the ground-breaking ceremony clearly signalled the importance they attached to this game changing project` and their commitment for its early completion. He said it was a momentous day that an achievement had been made possible through the perseverance, patience and collective endeavours of all stakeholders.

PM Sharif thanked the Turkmen president without whose involvement and keeninterest, the project could not have seen rapid progress.

He congratulated the Indian and Afghan leadership for their commitment to make the pipeline a success. `Tapi is not just a gas transit initiative connecting energy-rich Central Asia with energy-starved South Asia but a trailblazing project, he said, adding it would open up doors to regional economic progress and integration.

Mr Sharif said the flagship project would usher a new era of transformation of the lives of millions of people making the Tapi a symbol of shared prosperity and socio-economic development.

He said Tapi was of great significance for Pakistan`s energy outlook, besides being a vital component of his government`s efforts to mitigate the country`s energy crisis through import of natural gas and electricity.

The premier said his government was also working on additional power projects as work on CASA-1000 was being carried out expeditiously.

`Regional connectivity subject is close to my heart. It is through the projects like Tapi we can join hands for pursuing a common goal of strengthening of peace and prosperity in our region,` he added.

Starting from Turkmenistan`s Galkynysh gas field, the pipeline will pass along Kandahar-Herat Highway, and moving through Chaman, Zhob, Quetta, D.G. Khan and Multan, it will culminate at the Indian town of Fazilka, near the Pakistan-India border.-Agencies