Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora, while inaugurating the 5th Asia Gas Partnership Summit announced that discussions on the Turkmenistan-Pakistan-Afghanistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline would be held in Islamabad on April 23-24. Bilateral talks with Pakistan on the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline would follow the discussions on the TAPI1.

Adding to the rising speculations that IPI might still be a pipedream, Pakistan President Pervez Mushraff again mooted the idea of an Iran-Pakistan-China pipeline. While speaking at Beijing's Tsinghua University, he said that Pakistan would be eager to act as a conduit for Iranian gas to China, building Pakistan as an "energy and trade corridor''2.

• 1. Deora to visit Islamabad to discuss TAPI and IPI pipeline projects issues,” PIB Press Release, April 14, 2008, at pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=37365
• 2. “Musharraf favors IPC oil, gas project,” Press TV, April 14, 2008, at www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=51579&sectionid=351020401