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Officials confident practical work on TAPI in Afghanistan will start soon
Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said discussions were held recently with Turkmenistan officials and that practical work on the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project will start soon.
Officials said discussions were held with Turkmen officials during their recent visit to Herat.
The trans-Afghanistan pipeline has been on the cards for years and once complete will transport natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India.
Construction on the project started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015 but is currently stalled on the Afghanistan side.
The ministry’s spokesman Homayoun Afghan said however that problems have been resolved to some extent and that resumption of work will start soon.
Officials from the Chamber of Industries and Mines say that once complete, Afghanistan will receive 500 million cubic meters of gas for ten years and then one billion cubic meters of gas for twenty years.
According to them, the government will also earn about $500 million a year in transit fees.
“If the TAPI project is implemented, it will be vital economically for Afghanistan and for three countries that are involved in this project,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, deputy head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines.
“In the future, we will be able to use this gas to move gas-related industries and produce energy. Our gas imports will decrease. In general, Afghanistan will get a good income from the economic point of view,” Payman added.
Khanjan Alkozi, a member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), also said that this is a “major” project that will provide employment opportunities for thousands of people.
In addition, economic experts believe that the grounds for the implementation of large economic projects in the country have been provided and the opportunity should be used effectively.
TAPI gas pipeline is 1,800 km long and extends from Afghanistan and Pakistan to India – of which 735 km of it will traverse Afghanistan through the provinces of Herat, Farah, Helmand and Kandahar.
It is estimated that the cost of this project will exceed $22.5 billion.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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