Afghanistan Times
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Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India aim to complete the 1,840-km pipeline and begin pumping natural gas from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas fields by the beginning of 2020. Months ago, leaders from four countries broke ground on the Afghan section of an ambitious, multi-billion dollar gas pipeline with huge expectation to help ease energy deficits in South Asia. Despite there were pessimistic voices, but the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline kicked off in tremendous ceremony in Afghanistan. This project could also be taken as goals and new page in jointly and coordinately work between the four countries, including India with Pakistan, and Afghanistan with both, and all of them with Turkmenistan and reciprocally. Since Kabul and New Delhi are enjoying greatest relations, and both have big issues with Pakistan, this project could help the three countries to come up the fore with ending divergence between or at least find ways out and work for their interest collectively. We must gear up effort to take completely advantages of this project as Turkmenistan is fourth-largest gas reserves in the world. The TAPI which is going to be completed in 2020 and will carry 33 billion cubic meters of gas from the Galkynysh fields in Turkmenistan to Herat, Nimruz and Kandahar in Afghanistan, and continue on to Quetta, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan in Pakistan before culminating at the Indian border town of Fazika. At one hand it is a great milestone, but in another TAPI itself bears considerable political risk. Historical animosity between India and Pakistan, and the double game of Pakistan with Afghanistan and it’s widely support to the militant outfits to continue fighting with Afghan security forces, could derail the implementation of the project. And the impact is already visible as insecurity growing around TAPI gas pipeline project. The Natural Resources Monitoring Network said that there will be serious challenges ahead of implementation of TAPI if the ongoing security issues around the project are not tackled. The current insecurity and clashes in several parts of the country is clearly indication that Pakistan by supporting the militant outfits is leaving no stone unturned to stop the implementation of the multinational project. However, the evil forces will never succeed in their wickedness goals, as the Ministry of Interior informed of a comprehensive security plan to ensure security of the project. It is like daylight that the militants would do everything under capacity to hamper the project, but the security forces are committed to provide security. It’s hoped the government by overcoming security challenges could able to start works on the Afghan section of TAPI that one and half years is left from complete construction of the project.
