DUSHANBE: The Central Asia South Asia-1000 project will not only provide electricity to Pakistan and Afghanistan but will also create job opportunities for people in both the regions, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said during the CASA conference on Thursday.
He said work on the CASA project was expected to start soon.
The Pakistani premier also thanked Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon for hosting the conference.
Before the conference started, Nawaz also met the presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Nawaz also discussed matters of mutual interest during an informal conversation.
CASA-1000 is a project for the supply of electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan and Afghanistan, which started in 2016. The project is expected to be completed by 2018 and is expected to provide 1,300 megawatts of electricity to Pakistan.
The World Bank had approved a grant of US$526.5 million for the project in March 2014.
The Pakistani premier is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif, Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir and chairperson of the National Highway Authority, among other officials.
A press release issued by the prime minister’s media wing earlier said the visit to Tajikistan was reflective of the premier’s vision to strengthen Pakistan’s relations with neighbouring countries and further increase regional connectivity.
