HERAT, Afghanistan — A senior official with the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline project said that a small segment of the pipeline has been completed on Afghanistan’s soil, as construction efforts continue under the Taliban’s administration.
Myrat Archayev Abdullayev, the TAPI project director in Afghanistan, told local officials during a meeting in Herat that 14 kilometers of pipeline have been laid and an additional 24 kilometers of the route have been leveled.
The announcement came during a meeting with Islam Jar, the Taliban-appointed governor of Herat province, where the pipeline passes through. Abdullayev praised what he called the Taliban administration’s cooperation in facilitating construction and said efforts to accelerate work in the province are ongoing.
The TAPI pipeline is one of the region’s most ambitious energy infrastructure projects, aiming to deliver natural gas from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field through Afghanistan, into Pakistan and India. The project has faced repeated delays due to political instability, security concerns, and lack of financing since it was first proposed in the 1990s.
Supporters say the pipeline could serve as a catalyst for regional economic integration and provide a critical energy supply for South Asia, while also generating transit revenues for Afghanistan. However, international uncertainty around the Taliban’s government and limited foreign investment continue to pose obstacles.
Taliban officials have repeatedly expressed their support for the project and have held talks with Turkmen and Pakistani representatives to resume work, particularly in western Afghanistan.
No official timeline has been announced for the full resumption or completion of the Afghan section of the pipeline, which stretches more than 700 kilometers across the country.
