Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Monday said his country gave top priority to the overland gas pipeline project for the supply of gas to Pakistan from Iran and Turkmenistan, and then carry it forward to India to meet its energy requirements.

He was talking to Indian Petroleum Minister Mani Shankhar Aiyarwho called on him at the Prime Minister Secretariat to discuss the gas pipeline project, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

Aziz said the pipeline was an independent project which should not be linked to any other issue so that Pakistan and India could focus on the project as well as other related issues including pipeline structure, financing, tariff etc.

He said Pakistan would have to take a decision soon about its energy supplies to sustain the growth, meet future energy requirements and provide energy security.

Aziz, who arrived here Saturday for talks with his Pakistani counterpart Amanullah Khan Jadoon about the oil pipeline, expressed the hope that both Pakistan and India would work closely and give top priority to the completion of pipeline project as early as possible.

Aiyar termed his meeting with Aziz as "encouraging and fruitful" and thanked the Prime Minister for his valuable input and constructive approach.

He said the meeting had taken the project sufficiently forward and there would be a greater intensity of interaction between the two countries both at the ministerial as well as official levels.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2005)