Turkmenistan signs natural gas deal with Pakistan

Turkmenistan has signed a natural gas deal with Pakistan and India in a significant boost to the proposed construction of a 1,800-kilometer (1,100-mile) pipeline across Afghanistan.

Representatives from India's state-owned Gail Ltd. and Pakistan's privately run Pakistan's Inter State Gas System traveled to Turkmenistan to formalize the deal Wednesday to receive gas through a pipeline projected to pump 90 million cubic meters (3.18 billion cubic feet) a day.

Information on prices and the amount of gas to be purchased by specific nations has not been made public.

With a sales deal in place, the challenge of building a gas route through dangerous territories remains.