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Taliban make fresh bid to revive TAPI

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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…reports Asian Lite News

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.

Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline.(wikipedia)

Construction of Pashdan Dam in Herat province has come to a halt since the fall of the previous government in August, leaving the fate of the project up in the air.

Pashdan Dam, one of the largest infrastructure projects of Afghanistan, is situated in Karukh district, 25km east of Herat city. The hydroelectric dam was scheduled for completion by the end of 2021. However, work has been suspended on the project, and the dam is only 85 per cent finished.

The situation in Afghanistan since Taliban’s takeover has remained volatile.

Last month, a number of blasts were reported in the capital city of Kabul, claiming dozens of lives.

This series of blasts comes on the heels of one year of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Rights groups said the Taliban have broken multiple pledges to respect human rights and women’s rights.

After capturing Kabul in August last year, the Islamic authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, suppressed the media, and arbitrarily detained, tortured, and summarily executed critics and perceived opponents, among other abuses.

Rights groups say that the Taliban’s human rights abuses have brought widespread condemnation and imperilled international efforts to address the country’s dire humanitarian situation. (India Narrative/ANI)

ALSO READ: China’s ‘New Great Game’ in Afghanistan

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