Desperate Taliban makes fresh bid to revive TAPI, seek Indian energy market

The Taliban interim government in Afghanistan is making a fresh bid to seek India’s lucrative energy market by trying to revive the Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan India (TAPI) gas pipeline.

In a meeting with  Mohammad Murad Amanov, Executive Chairman of TAPI Gas Pipeline Company the Taliban’s interim Deputy Prime Minister, Mullah Abdulghani Baradar discussed the implementation of the agreement on the Tapi project between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and also the beginning of “ practical work” of this project. Baradar said the project will take-off soon, as reported by a Tweet of the Taliban Times.

Earlier this month, Baradar said in a meeting with scholars, tribal elders, domestic investors, and local businessmen in Herat province the construction of the project will begin soon.

The Taliban-run Bakhtar state news agency reported citing Baradar that an industrial town will be established in the Pol-e-Hashim region of Herat province, which will be one of the hubs of the project. The pipeline is slated to enter the Nimroz Province and Kandahar before it enters Pakistan with India as its final destination.

Also Read: Can Turkmenistan’s new president get TAPI project back on track?