Taliban back gas pipeline project connecting Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

Workers attend the launching ceremony of construction work of the TAPI project on the Afghan section of a natural gas pipeline, near the town of Serhetabat, Turkmenistan, Feb 23, 2018. (REUTERS)

• Development came during Turkmen foreign minister Rashid Meredov’s visit to Kabul 
• Meredov said he held constructive talks with Taliban officials on economic, political issues 

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban on Sunday voiced their support for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, Afghan media reported on Monday, months after the group formed an interim government in the war-torn country.
The statement by the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, came during the visit of Turkmenistan foreign minister Rashid Meredov to Kabul.
The multibillion-dollar gas pipeline project aims to supply gas from Turkmenistan via Afghanistan and Pakistan up to Pakistan’s border with India.
“Important issues such as TAPI, railroads and electricity were discussed. We discussed how to strengthen the projects that had already started,” Afghanistan’s TOLO news channel quoted Muttaqi as saying at a joint press conference with Meredov.
“Also, the projects that were started by Turkmenistan, such as TAPI — its practical implementation will start soon in Afghanistan.”
The TAPI gas pipeline is expected to carry 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas each year along a route stretching 1,814 kilometers (1,125 miles) from Galkynysh, the world’s second-biggest gas field, to the Indian city of Fazilka, close to the Pakistan border, according to the report.
Work on the project began in Afghanistan in February 2018, with at least 816km stretch of the pipeline passing through the land-locked country to Pakistan and India. However, its construction has faced delays in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past years.
Meredov said the Turkmen delegation and Afghan officials held constructive talks on economic and political issues.
During the visit, the Turkmen foreign minister met with the Taliban’s deputy prime minister Abdul Salam Hanafi and discussed economic affairs — especially the TAPI project — and railroads, and “made important decisions,” the report quoted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying.
Meredov also invited the acting Afghan foreign minister to visit Turkmenistan.